Cong demands land for land for Singur farmers in all party meet

Kolkata, Sep 30(UNI) The all-party meeting in West Bengal, convened to resolve the Singur issue, today ended with the Opposition Congress demanding land for land for Singur farmers and the BJP throwing its weight behind the new rehabilitation package of the state Government.

'' The Congress has not supported our proposal for the time being, though the BJP has. But I hope that good sense would prevail upon the Congress and they will support us,'' Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told reporters after the two-hour meeting at the state Secretariat.

The Trinamool Congress and its ally socialist unity c entre of India (SUCI) did not participate in the meeting demanding that the Government implement the agreement it reached with the Opposition at the Raj Bhavan on September seven that talked about providing land to the unwilling Singur farmers.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee demanded that 300 acres of land be given from within the Tata Motors' Nano project area and 100 acres from outside which the state Government rejected before coming out with the package with an enhanced compensation payout and assurance for job for all the land losers.

Though almost echoing Ms Banerjee's demand, the Congress, however, demanded that 300 acres of alternative land be given to the farmers from outside the project area.

Besides supporting the Government's package, the BJP also called for resuming Tata Motors' work which remained suspended for about a month following agitation by Ms Banerjee.

At the meeting, the Chief Minister and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen explained to the representatives of other political parties that returning 300 acres from within the walled area would negate the project which was of an integrated nature with the mother plant being inseparable from the ancillary units.

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