Naxalites demand Rs 1 lakh compensation for Singur farmers

KOLKATA: A number of Naxalite factions held a protest demonstration at Singur on Tuesday and demanded that a compensation of Rs 1 lakh be given to each farmer who had sacrificed their land for the Tata Motors’ small car project.

They also urged Mamata Banerjee’s government to pay monthly allowances of Rs 7,000 to each of these farmers until and unless they got back their land. Mamata’s government has already announced a monthly allowance of Rs 2000 for unwilling Singur farmers who had refused compensation offered to them by the previous Left Front government.

Interestingly, CPM MLA and former land and land reforms minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah, who had planned an ‘Occupy Singur’ movement a few days ago, skipped the Naxalite gathering during the day. Mollah had informed a meeting of Naxalites and intellectuals some time ago of his plans for the ‘Occupy Singur’ movement.

But on Tuesday, Mollah was seen nowhere in Singur even though the Naxalites held their demonstration during the day. The CPM state leadership had taken a strong exception to Mollah's plan to lead a movement in Singur.

It is learnt that the state party leadership had warned Mollah for his announcement and had asked him not to go forward with such a movement.