TMC toughens stand on Singur Act

Echoing the views of his colleague Becharam Manna on returning  400 acres of land in Singur to farmers, State Labour Minister Purnendu Bose on Tuesday said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would pass a new law if the Supreme Court did not accept the Singur Act.

“If the Supreme Court doesn’t accept the Singur Act, then Mamata Banerjee will pass another law in the state assembly. We will bring a new law in order to return the land to unwilling land losers,” said Bose.

In 2007, the erstwhile Left Front Government had given 997 acres of land to automobile giant Tata Motors for its Nano project, the country’s cheapest car. In the face of increasing anti-land acquisition agitation spearheaded by Didi, the Nano project had rolled out of West Bengal and into Sanand in Gujarat in 2008.Soon after the TMC came to power in 2011, Mamata had promised to return land to farmers who had unwillingly parted with it. The TMC-led State Government had passed the Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011 to vest the land leased out to Tata Motors. However, in June, a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court set aside the order passed by the Single Bench of the High Court and had termed the Act unconstitutional and void prompting the State Government to approach the Supreme Court. It then stayed the Calcutta High Court order in August this year.

While Didi and other senior leaders have always stated that they would accept the judgment passed by the apex court, the TMC Chief on her part has been confident of a favourable order. However, Mamata’s ministers have been guilty of shooting off their mouths and pushing for yet another stand-off between the State Government and Tata Motors, especially at a time when Ratan Tata professed a desire to return to Singur and West Bengal.