Trinamool gives 7-day ultimatum, threatens fresh stir

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress on Sunday served a week's ultimatum to West Bengal government to accept its demands for returning land of "unwilling" farmers at Tata Motors' car plant site at Singur or face fresh agitation.

On the other hand, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee warned for the first time that the Tatas would leave the state if there was further delay in accepting the government's rehabilitation package for farmers.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, however, gave the government a seven-day deadline to operationalise the September 7 agreement reached between her and Bhattacharjee in the presence of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi or she would resume her suspended dharna outside the Tata Motors plant at Singur.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who a day earlier met the Governor to convey to him that he was open for talks with Trinamool Congress on the package that provides for 70 acres of land from within the Tata Motors car project area and compensation, appealed to the opposition parties to withdraw their agitation and accept it.

"I appeal to opposition parties to accept the government's package on the land acquisition at Singur for the Tata Motors factory and withdraw the agitation. If there is any further delay, this project will leave West Bengal," he said in a statement.

The Chief Minister's statement came in the backdrop of a number of states offering land and incentives to Tata Motors to set up the Nano car project there. "Since the project will go out of West Bengal if there is further delay, therefore without any loss of time Tata Motors and ancilliary units should be given the opportunity to resume work at Singur," Bhattacharjee said.

The Trinamool Congress chief, speaking on Bhattacharjee's appeal to accept the package and withdraw the agitation, "if the Tatas leave, it is their affair. There is a mutual agreement with them (the government and Tatas)."
Prior to resumption of dharna at Singur, TC plans a rally at Singur on September 26 after observing 'Singur Diwas' a day earlier.

The Chief Minister's statement came in the backdrop of a number of states offering land and incentives to Tata Motors to set up the Nano project there. "Since the project will go out of West Bengal if there is further delay, therefore without any loss of time Tata Motors and ancillary units should be given the opportunity to resume work at Singur," Bhattacharjee said.

"Let all of us take the initiative to successfully implement this promising project in the interest of the state, the entire people of Singur and future generations," he said. The Trinamool Congress chief, speaking on Bhattacharjee's appeal to accept the package and withdraw the agitation, "if the Tatas leave, it is their affair. There is a mutual agreement with them (the government and Tatas)."

She said it was the government which was not interested in solving the problem. "They are neither for the industry nor agriculture." Banerjee said she had met Gandhi prior to the agreement after he wrote to her stating that the state government had offered a land-based solution in and around the Nano project area.

"Therefore, I had attended the meeting (on September 7) for a face-to-face meeting with the chief minister. But the government did not operationalise the agreement and turned 180 degrees and declared a rehabilitation package unilaterally," she said.

Prior to resumption of dharna, TC plans a rally at Singur on September 26 after observing 'Singur Diwas' a day earlier. "We also know that this is the time of Ramadan and will be followed by Durga Puja. We will not inconvenience the people. But at the same time the movement will go on."