Kolkata: Amid resentment among Singur farmers and a revolt by the legislator from the rural belt, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday will hold an administrative meeting in Singur — the very land which catapulted her to power.
“We will hold the district administration meeting in Singur as a message to the people who stood up against oppression,” Banerjee said here Thursday.
A section of Singur land-losers, who were in the Banerjee-led movement against Tata Motors in 2007-08, demonstrated their resentment against the state government Wednesday by shouting slogans against newly-appointed Minister of State for Agriculture Becharam Manna. The farmers, who had not accepted the cheques from the erstwhile Left Front government in return for giving their land for the car project, were aggrieved over not receiving the dole of Rs 2,000 and rice at Rs.2 per kg announced by Banerjee for months.
Eighteen months into Banerjee’s rule, the farmers are yet to get back their land due to a legal row between the Tatas and the state government. Manna, a peasant leader, also faced accusations from disgruntled minister and Singur lawmaker Rabindranath Bhattacharya.
Bhattacharya was shunted from the agriculture to the statistics and programme implementation department but refused to join his new assignment. (IANS)