Tata has secret deal with CPI(M): Mamata

Kolkata, Mar 12: Alleging that Tata and the CPI(M) had struck a "secret deal" for land takeover in Singur, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today rejected the Government's offer for talks and said her fight against the small car project is on.

"Tata is behaving just like a political party and has become a close friend of the CPI(M). There is a Tata-CPI(M) joint venture to loot the people's land and natural resources to increase their wealth," she told reporters.

Ms Banerjee's outburst came three days after Tata Motors signed a lease agreement with the Government for 997 acres of acquired land of Singur and decided to increase the investment for the small car project to Rs. 1,500 crore from Rs. 1,000 crore.

"But it is a matter of the people's livelihood and we shall continue our movement peacefully," she said.

Describing the deal as "surreptitious", the Trinamool chief said while even the state Assembly had not been informed about it, work for the project was being pushed through when a court order on the issue was pending.

Accusing Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of going back on his words to settle the dispute through talks, Ms Banerjee said it was following his promise that she withdrew the 25-day fast. But the very next day he imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 Cr P C in Singur followed by erection of boundary walls around the acquired land.

"Does he really want dialogues with me ? but that can not be if he goes on with what he is doing," she said.

Calling Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee an "arrogant hero", Ms Banerjee alleged that he was pleading only for the cause of big industrialists ignoring the cause of medium and small entrepreneurs.

Referring to the Chief Minister's challenge to the opposition at the Brigade Parade Ground rally yesterday, the Trinamool chief said said she would visit few political personalities in Delhi next week to take up the issue.

"He is behaving like a gang leader. How the people of the state will get protection," she asked.

The Chief Minister said at the rally that he would see to it what strength the oppsition had to block the industrial projects.

Representatives of the Trinamool-led Krishi Jami Raksha Committee would also seek an appointment with West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi next week in connection with the issue.

Ms Banerjee announced that members of Krishi Jami Raksha Committee partners would keep visiting Singur while processions would be taken out in the city everyday from March 13 to 22 in protest against "forcible" acquisition of agricultural land in the state and the Chief Minister's "autocratic" behaviour.

The Trinamool chief also alleged that the CPI(M) was planning to capture Nandigram with the help of armed mercineries from outside in the next few days and the Government was about to clamp prohibitory orders in the area to suppress the opposition movement against the proposed land acquisition.

UNI

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