Who are Tatas to snatch farmers' livelihood ? Mamata

Kolkata, Nov 28 (UNI) Stopping short of attacking the Tata Motors, which is going to set up its small car factory at Singur in West Bengal's Hooghly district, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee today asked ''who are the Tatas'' to take away the livelihood of farmers.

''Who are the Tatas ? It is a private party and not the Government. Agricultural land, which is the resource for sustenance of farmers, cannot be taken for any individual,'' she said while announcing her programme for a ''non cooperation'' movement against the ruling Left Front from tomorrow.

Ms Banerjee, leading ''Krishi Jami Raksha Committee'', a platform of Opposition parties, demanding that the Tatas shift the site to a non -agricultural area. She claimed that about 46,500 families in and around Singur were engaged in agri-based ancillary industires and the Tatas' porposed factory would rob them of their livelihood.

''The Government has no right to rob lakhs of people of their livelihood for one car factory, '' she said and claimed that the administration was handing out ''distorted'' facts as it had not yet been able to acquire 551 acre out of the required 997 acre of land because of farmers' resistance.

While Tata Motors Managing Director Ravi Kant, in a press met on November 25, had conveyed the company's resolve to stick to Singur as the site for the project, Ms Banerjee indicated that she would be speaking against the Tatas as well in future alongside her continuing campaign against the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government.

''I know many things about them...but this is not the time to speak... '' she said.

The Trinamool Congress activists would participate in a rally and then court arrest in a law violation programme in the city's Esplanade area tomorrow almost about the same time the Left Front supporters would be leaving for Singur from a nearby point to hold a meeting for campaign in favour of the industry.

Ms Banerjee warned that the Government would be held responsible if there was any breach of peace tomorrow.

The Trinamool supremo said the law violation would be against acquisition of farm land and the ''terror unleashed'' by police among the Singur farmers.

Led by the Trinamool Congress, the Krishi Jami Raksha Committee would hold a meeting at Singur on November 30 as the next step of its movement, she said.

She flayed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for pushing through the project at Singur, and said she would sow potato seeds in the land earmarked for the project and would invite others also to follow her defying the Government ''intimidation and oppression''.

UNI KDG SJC Mir BS1947