A political motive: Sen
Statesman News Service
KOLKATA/SINGUR, Aug. 22: The state commerce and industries, Mr Nirupam Sen today said that the majority of the unwilling farmers in Singur were opposing the small car factory on political grounds, indicating it was not merely a question of losing one's livelihood that has prompted the agitation.
In an interactive with industrialists at the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Sen was repeatedly asked why the state government did not sit down with the farmers to thrash out the issue. In his response, Mr Sen said they had tried a number of times to do so through the district administration and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation. “Among those who did not take compensation cheques there are certainly some people who refused to do so on political grounds. They have been convinced to oppose the project . and would fight it out till the end," he said.
According to him, only 2251 people have not taken compensation, for a total of 305.47 acres of land, while 10,852 people have accepted compensation cheques for 691.64 acres of land.
He called on the Opposition to identify marginal farmers and arrange for their alternative livelihood with the state government. But the question of returning land should be resolved within the frame of law and keeping in mind the ethical question, he said.
Later, addressing a CPI-M rally at Singur, Mr Sen said that some left and right extremist outfits and right wing political parties have joined hands to create anarchy and force the Tatas to abandon the project.
He also alleged that Trinamul Congress was trying for a repeat of the Nandigram episode at Singur and declared that their efforts would not succeed.
1 comments:
marvellous abandon in that statement of statistics. i only wish the sources of those statistics were not treated, literally, as state secrets.
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