Opposition attack Govt on land policy in Bengal

Kolkata, Mar 12 (UNI) The opposition Trinamool Congress and Congress today flayed the Left Front Government in the West Bengal Assembly for going ahead with its land acquisition moves.

Participating in the motion of thanks on Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi's address in the Budget session, senior Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Ray alleged that while the Government was trying to set up industries, many farmers in Singur were starving.

''The Government has gone crazy in the name of industrialisation and the Chief Minister has become a captive in the hands of land sharks,'' he said.

Mr Ray alleged that more than 100 people had been killed in the continuing political clashes in Nandigram while around 2,500 workers of 14 closed tea gardens in North Bengal had died since 2002.

Blasting Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for his ''all round failure,'' Congress Legislature Party leader Manas Bhunia urged the Government for reallocating land for the small car project at Singur.

He said the Congress was never opposed to the Tatas' project, but industry should not come up at the cost of agriculture and farmers.

He also accused the Chief Minister of failing to keep his word on preparing a white paper on Singur and setting up of a land bank.

The other speakers who participated in the motion of thanks, included Murosolin Mollah (CPI-M), Suvendu Adhikary (AITC), Mehbub Mondal (AIFB), Santosh Rana (CPI) and Amar Chowdhury (RSP).

UNI