WB opposition to raise the pitch over Singur

KOLKATA: Signs of discord among Left Front constituents in West Bengal over the Singur land acquisition appears to have induced opposition parties to plan full-fledged agitation campaigns against the state government in the near future.

The state Congress leadership has asked all district presidents to attend a meeting in Kolkata on Sunday at Bidhan Bhavan, state party headquarters. “We will launch a series of agitation programmes against the government for forcibly acquiring large tracts of multi-crop land in Singur.

The government may not give up the path of acquiring farmland, but we have to oppose it,” said Pradip Bhattacharjee, working president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) on Saturday.

Like the Congress, the Trinamool Congress leadership will also hold a crucial meeting on Monday in Kolkata to reshape its current phase of agitation against acquisition of farmland. Party chief Mamata Banerjee will visit Singur on Sunday to lead a non-cooperation movement by the local party leaders.

On Monday, the Trinamool leadership will announce a fresh agitation programmes, which the leadership is willing to spread across the state. However, the issue of holding a joint movement with Congress will come up for discussion at the Monday meeting.

Both Congress and Trinamool are planning to take their agitation to new heights as the three-tier panchayat elections in West Bengal are scheduled for 2008. “If we manage to sustain our agitation against land acquisition throughout 2007, I believe we may be able to increase our strength in rural Bengal and improve our position in the panchayat polls,” Mamata reportedly said in a party meeting.