PCC and Jamait to move jointly in land issue

Kolkata, Feb 14 (UNI) In an interesting development in the anti-land acquisition stir in West Bengal, the Congress is actively considering a proposal of the Jamait-E-Ulema-I-Hind for a joint movement that threatens to rival the Trinamool-led agitation.

"We are considering a proposal of Jamait-E-Ulema-I-Hind Chief Siddikullah Chowdhury to move jointly against the Bengal government's forceful land acquisition for industry," Pradesh Congress Committee working president Pradip Bhattacharjee told newspersons after the two-day "land convention" here today.

Mr Bhattacharjee said the Jamait chief had recently sent a letter to the PCC proposing the joint movement.

While the PCC, walking separate from the Trinamool in carrying out movement against acquisition of agricultural land, the emergence of the Jamait, having a substantial influence among the farmers belonging to the minority community has added a new dimension to the state politics.

However, showing a cold shoulder to the Trinamool-led 'Paschimbanga Krishi Jami Raksha Committee', the Jamait chief chose to team up with the Congress to build up a second opposition force on the land issue that could rival rival Ms Mamata Banerjee's prominence in the ongoing movement.

"We have instructed party workers to continue campaigning against the state Government's move to set up industry on farm land with the demand that the West Bengal land acquisition amendment bill be scrapped and the Special Economic Zone(SEZ) in Nandigram stopped immediately. If the government tries to get the bill passed forcefully in the Assembly, we shall launch a mass movement," Mr.Bhattacharjee said.

He said a delegation led by former PCC president Somen Mitra would meet Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh shortly with an appeal for setting up of farm based SEZ in the state.

The party had decided in the convention that while industry was needed, it should be set up on the fallow land of places like Purulia,Bankura, Birbhum, West Midnapore, Coochbehar and North Dinajpur.

The convention also resolved to organise a number of agitational programmes to force the Left Government to retract from land acquistition. A "silent peace march" to Nandigram would be taken out on February 28, while local conventions would be held at Serampore in Hooghly district, Siliguri in Darjeeling distrcit, Tamluk in East Midnapore district and Barasat in North Twentyfour Parganas district on March eleven, 18, 25 and 31 respectively before a "Sit in Satyagraha" to be held at the Shahid Minar on April nine.

UNI