West Bengal is rife with a huge debate.The event: Building of the Tata Motors factory on viable cropland of Singur. The conflict:
Snatching away of land from farmers and rehabilitation. The opponents: Trinamul Congress led by the ever aggressive Mamata Banerjee for the farmers’ rights and CPIM, led by dignified CM Buddhadeb for
industrialisation. Trinamul have started a strong agitation to bring the
government to book. They are accusing the government of snatching democratic rights of people and paying no heed to torture of women and children. According to them, the government is giving land to the Tatas almost free of cost, with electricity and water. The protests have been freshly revivived with former PM V.P.Singh and Medha Patkar joining Mamata in her crusade for the peasants.
According to Mr.Singh, the Tatas should have bought land directly from the peasants. Why go to the government for cost benefits? It is a six crop land and is a model one at that. Other industrial units have been asked to leave in favour of the Tatas, Mamata alleges. Some elements of conviction but the protest level leaves one shocked. The volley of bandhs, violence, beating up journalists, invitations to Naxalites, shameful demolition of Assembly furniture,etc. have put an irremovable black spot on Mamata’s campaign. Being crusaders,Trinamul has damaged years old public treasure with blood curdling violence. Aren’t public rights being squashed?CPIM and CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya are sticking to their stand having publicly declared the assurance of safety of the Tatas and the completion of the project. The controversial area has been cordoned off and walled under heavy police protection. Not a day passes without reports of violence in the area, police confrontation, Naxalite damage, etc. The government stands for pro-investment. The Tata Motors factory will bring in a new wave of industrialisation in Bengal. The value of land in Singur is estimated to be approximately 1.5 to 2 lakh per acre. The government is compensating farmers by paying 4-11 lakhs per acre. Plus, the employment generated is expected to be huge where around 2000 of the 11500 Singur will be directly employed. Not to mention jobs from ancillary units and benefits to a long stagnant agrarian locality. Many side with Left front in feeling that the agitation is an effort on Mamata’s part to replenish her political clout. Globalisation has to take over at some point. Singur is just an irreversible case of the same. Mamata has flatly refused all public talks with either Tatas or the government. This is unusual. Why not make her problems known to the opposing side? She has threatened boycott of Tata goods and has not budged from her long-running hunger strike inspite of messages from leaders to call it off.We can only draw our own conclusions. Is Industrialisation the only way out or are rights being snatched? The Trinamul has used violence but the Left has been constitutional. Also, what about the children? Will this needless wrangling help them? So many are killed and harassed daily as pawns in daily altercations between Naxalites and policemen. When will they get peace? Alas, at the moment it seems to be an ever raging war. And someone put Mrs.Patkar back into the primitive ages where there are no water problems and lots of land.