Union Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee said that she would build two railway units on the leasehold land now with Tata Motors at Singur, if the disputed 400 acres is returned to the farmers. Earlier, she flagged off two suburban trains to improve the connectivity of this area.
Addressing a public meeting at Singur, Ms. Banerjee said this place along with Nandigram had shown that ‘forcible' acquisition of farmland is not acceptable.
“Singur and Nandigram brought me credibility,” she told the meeting organised to mark a milestone in the Singur-agitation.
The Trinamool chief held out the promise that Singur would be developed as a model place with factories and employment for all while allowing farmers to carry out their farming.
“Apple of my eye”
“Singur is the apple-of-my-eye and Nandigram is my heart and soul,” the TMC supremo proclaimed .
Reiterating her demand on withdrawal of joint forces from the State's three districts identified as affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), Mr. Banerjee said that a decision would be taken over the next two to three days to finalise an action plan so as to have the issue (regarding withdrawal of joint forces) taken up in New Delhi by all the TMC members of Parliament.
“The Communist party of India (Marxist) has to fight politically and not with the licensed guns of the State,” she said on a day when a CRPF personnel and a Maoists were killed in a predawn gun-battle in the LWE-affected Paschim Medinipur.
She also mentioned her preference for negotiating with the rebels, saying that her stand carried the approval of senior party colleagues such as Pranab Mukherjee. “Even Pranabda said like I did — in a democracy, problem can be sorted out by dialogues,” she said.
“Peace and development is my promise,” she said referring to her proposed visit to the troubled Darjeeling Hills on Sunday.
On Friday's announcement by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of increased reservation for minorities in the State, she thundered that the government was “giving out reservation like doling out alms.”
