Naxalites to hold rally before Mamata's visit to Singur

KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee will hold a rally at Singur on September 14. But three days before her Singur rally, a Naxalite faction---CPI(ML) Liberation will organise a rally at Singur on September 11.

"We want Mamata Banerjee's government to implement the Supreme Court verdict on Singur immediately and compensation be given to both willing and unwilling farmers. The apex court has asked the state government to return land within twelve weeks and Mamata's government will have to carry forward the court's order within stipulated period of time fixed by the Supreme Court," Liberation state secretary Partha Ghosh told ET on Thursday.

Ghosh said that attempts were being made by sertain section of the ruling Trinamool Congress to use the land for setting up new industrial units. "We will oppose any sort of move by the state government and we want Mamata Banerjee to return land to the farmers immediately," said Ghosh. He also said that "the unwilling farmers who did not accept compensation from the previous Left Front government, should now get the same with 12 per cent interests as these farmers had suffered a lot due to forcible acquisition of their land by the previous government."

Political circles here feel that the Liberation, which had been opposing Singur land acquisition from the very beginning, is now trying to mount pressure on Mamata's government for returning of land to the farmers. "Liberation's plan to hold rally at Singur before Mamata's gathering there on September 14, is being viewed as the Naxalite's serious effort to be in the political limelight before 2018 panchayet elections," said a senior CPIM leader.

Liberation's all-India secretary Dipankar Bhattacharjee and general secretary of the All India Kishan Mahasbha, Rajaram Singh will address the Singur gathering on September 11.