Mamata calls for intensifying movement against Tata Motors

Kolkata, Jul 31 (UNI) Reacting to Tata Motor's Managing Director Ravi Kant's comments, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said the movement against ''forcible acquisition'' of land for setting up small car factory at Singur would be intensified.

''We are not against the industrialisation. We even do not know who and where the businesses will be done for making profit out of industrialisation, which is not our subject. But the 400-acre land which was forcefully acquired from the unwilling farmers for Tata factory should be returned,'' Ms Banerjee pointed out.

Ms Banerjee warned, ''The TMC would not compromise with the Government regarding the land acquisition in the state.'' Her reaction came a day after Tata Motors chief Ravi Kant in Mumbai said that the people of West Bengal had to decide whether they wanted industrialisation or not. He said after an engineer was manhandled at Singur factory area on Tuesday, fresh threats were issued to the migrant workers.

The Trinamool chief alleged that the Tatas were conniving with support from the CPI(M) to defeat the farmers' movement from regaining their lands.

''Her party would not bow down to any pressure and intensify the movement until the lands were restored to the original owners,'' Ms Banerjee said in a news conference.

''We are fighting the issue over two-and-half years. I even went on a hunger strike for 26 days and called off after the government's assurance to talk to me in this regard. But they (government) did not do so and so they cheated us,'' Ms Banerjee said.

''The government forces have been guarding the Tata Motors boundary walls for more than three years and our duty is to protect the peoples' rights and farmers' interests,'' the TMC chief said.

The people of the state have given their verdict in the last Panchayat elections against the forceful land acquisition, she added.

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