Mamta plans to postpones the 48-hour strike

KOLKATA: Unable to cope with internal pressure within her party, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday temporarily postponed the 48-hour strike in West Bengal that was scheduled from December 21.

Officially, Mamata has cited the Christmas festivities as the major reason for postponment of the strike call. “Members of the Christian society have requested me to withdraw the 48-hour strike. We honour public request and we are postponing the strike for the time being,” Mamata told reporters.

Significantly, Kolkata High Court on Wednesday issued an order asking Trinamool Congress to withdraw the 48-hour bandh. But Trinamool Congress sources stressed the party had not postponed the strike in the light of the high court order.

She, however, did not rule out the possibility of holding the strike in the near future. “Our decision to call the strike again depends solely on the state government. If the government returns the land which it had acquired forcibly from the Singur farmers and withdraws the prohibitory order under Section 144 CrPC, we will withdraw our agitation,” Mamata reiterated, adding she would not end her fast even though the chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had requested several times.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mamata had written to the chief minister requesting him not to make the Singur development a “prestige issue” and return the land forcibly from the farmers.

Consequently, the chief minister sent Mr Bhaskar Layek, a member of his secretariat with a letter to the site where Mamata continued her fast for the 17th day. In his letter, the chief minister had also requested Mamata to end her fast. “I am very much concernef about your health. I request you to end your fast and withdraw the bandh call,” wrote Mr Bhattacharjee.

In his letter, Mr Bhattacharjee mentioned that the state government had spent Rs 85 crore to compensate 9500 land losers in Singur. “We have acquired 954 acres and such land was acquired without any objection from the owners,” the chief minister claimed in his letter to Mamata, who in turn, described the Mr Bhattacharjee’s claims as a “total lie” and reiterated her stand that the government would have to return the land to the farmers.

The Left Front, which had called an urget meeting at the CPIM headquarters on Alimuddin Street, could not proceed much as the strike was postponed. The Front chairman Biman Bose said “We are happy that the strike has been withdrawan.”

Trinamool Congress circles said Mamata was under pressure from her legislatures and senior party leaders to postpone the bandh for the time being. These legislators and leaders were unhappy with Mamata as she had allowed Naxalite factions to lead the movement which is being conducted by the Trinamool Congress.