Buddhadeb talks to PM and other UPA leaders on Nandigram

Kolkata, Mar 15 (UNI) In an effort to clear the government stand, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee today talked to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister apprising them of the situation that led to yesterday's police firing at Nandigram.

Speaking to newspersons at his chamber in the state Assembly, the Chief Minister said he had briefed the Central leaders about the ground reality at Nandigram.

'' I have also informed them about Calcutta High Court's order for a CBI inquiry and that I have welcomed the move, '' the Chief minister said.

When his attention was drawn to the unprecedented decision of the RSP and CPI MLAs not to speak in favour of the Governor's address since yesterday, the Chief Minister said he had taken a note of it and would raise the issue in tonight's emergency Left Front meeting to discuss the Nandigram issue.

Mr Bhattacherjee also refused to comment on the remarks of Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi about the Nandigram massacre, expressing shock and regret. '' I will not comment on his remarks, '' he made his intention clear.

About the role of the Opposition in the ongoing industrial resurgence programme of the state government for the past few years, the Chief Minister coming downheavily on the Opposition Trinamool Congress and the Congress alleged that all along they had been opposing all the forward looking steps taken by the government without realising their importance.

'' Though time and again I have made it clear to them that there should not be any misunderstanding on the issue of the state's industrial growth between the ruling parties and those in the Opposition, but they refuse to listen and blindly opposed them just for the sake of opposing, '' he added.

Earlier, participating on the last day of the four-day-long discussion on the Governor's address in the House, the Chief Minister gave a detailed account of his government's initiative behind the establishment of the Tata Motor's much-talked-about small car unit project.

Reiterating that government would step aside from the Rs 1,500 crore project, expected to come up by the middle of next year, the Chief Minister claimed that only four per cent of nearly 4,000 farmers, who had given up their land willingly, were yet to collect the compensatory cheques from the government.

He said of the state's nearly 1,35,000 lakh acre of farm land, only 100,000 acre would be required for industrial purpose and added that it would comprise even less than one per cent of the total farm land.

However, the entire Opposition Bench comprising the members of the Trinamool Congress, Congress and the SUCI boycotted the Chief Minister's reply along with several members of the ruling parties.

Meanwhile, earlier in his reply to the Governor's address to the House, state Industry Minister Nirupam Sen dwelt on the technical details of the joint agreement of Tata Motors and the state government on the small car unit.

UNI