IMAGES FROM SINGUR
I AM APOLITICAL BUT NOT APATHETIC................
I have been following all the news since the past few months related to the Singur land row………..the never ending political battle between Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Miss. Mamta Banerjee. I’m really disgusted at this games played by both the party leaders. Miss. Banerjee seems in no mood to compromise with her demand for 300 acres of land within the land area acquired by TATA for the NANO project and 100 acres of land outside the project area. But our esteemed CM has refused to give in to her demands which he has already termed as “unjustified”. The CPM Government has agreed to give up only 70 acres within the project area and the rest is compensated by a “lucrative package” (as declared by our CM).
Even the good Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi has failed to bring an end to the eternal fracas between the two rivals. According to the deal signed before the Governor, the Government has agreed to provide “maximum land” from within the project area but right now they are deviating from the gentleman’s pact. They are totally misinterpreting the term “maximum land”. They are trying to allure the disinclined farmers with the temptation of a beneficial package( we don’t know yet how much “beneficial” its actually going to be!) but this is totally in contradiction to what was mutually agreed upon in the treaty.
The terrified Government, alarmed by Miss. Banerjees’s infinitely stretched “Dharna Sabha”, agreed to whatever her demands were and came to an agreement temporarily. But just after the “Dharna” was withdrawn they are back in the game of politics. They just wanted to free the Durgapur Expressway and once the mission was achieved, all promises were forgotten.
Now, again both parties have resumed with their sickening “meetings” and “morchas”. As if some kind of competition is going on in terms of bringing more and more people to the meetings of the respective parties. Once again no one but the common mass is affected. This again is leading to blockage of the Durgapur Expressway…….but when it comes from the Government side………..better be quiet!!
The issue has been raised to a mere clash of egos. The TMC leader is just avoiding all responsibilities by pushing the ball in the Government’s court and her stubborn attitude is preventing the party from coming to a mutual agreement. She no doubt agreed upon the conference in the Governor’s residence (Raj Bhavan) which was a historical moment for the state (considering her typical and unique nature!) but she seems to be in no mood to show an iota of cooperation from her part. This is really unacceptable. She could have done a lot for the Singur people if she had demanded for a worthwhile package instead of uselessly demanding land in return of land. The land within the project area has already become unsuitable for farming and the farmers who will be provided land within the project area has to sell the land sooner or later to the industrialists because the money allocated per acre of land is too hard to resist and stands as a better option than spending a huge amount of money and making the land fertile for farming purposes (reviving the farm land is something they can’t afford to do even in their wildest of dreams).
The TMC leader acquired great appreciation from the intelligentsia when she protested against the unjustified firing in Singur and Nandigram. But now she has failed to keep up with her potential to strive for the common people of these remote villages. Every time she gains popularity, her whimsical nature betrays her. Lack of strong Opposition is solely responsible for electing and re-electing the Communist party since 30 years in spite of severe corruption and bad politics (mass rigging at the voting venues by party cadres and total dictatorship in the State, defying the laws of democracy).Her obstinacy is freaking us out. We are not really getting into her heads what she really wants. She says she does not want the TATA to go away but her actions seem to say otherwise. So why is she creating such confusion among the common masses?
She could have been a true leader but unfortunately her fickle mindedness is not allowing her to do so (We had seen it once before in the past when she was the Railway Minister. Had she been in that position today, she could have done a lot for the people of West Bengal.). She speaks something but does something else! Undoubtedly she has taught the Government a lesson who would never again dare to sell farm land to some industrialist without consulting the Opposition in the State and without thinking about the farmers’ interest. But the willful attitude she’s displaying now, can definitely lead to a disaster for the state with the TATA s going away and putting up this International Project elsewhere in India because Governments of States like Gujarat, Assam and Uttaranchal are constantly requesting Mr. Ratan Tata to erect the project on their land where there’s no problem with regard to acquiring the desired land area. The Nano project is something that the entire world is looking forward to and if it goes away from our State, it will mean a lot of embarrassment for us.
Miss. Banerjee please give up your whimsicalness and think about us…..the mass. The departure of TATA means an exodus of all leading companies from the State. They will not risk their money in any of the ventures in the state as per the plans. Already Infosys and Ramski Infrastructure have declared their dilemma in the media. Exit of such prospective projects from the state means steep rise in unemployment. Loss of thousands of jobs is not going to hurt any of the opportunist politicians. The youth is going to be the worst affected in this battle of egos. Victims of the dirty game of politics are not going to spare anyone responsible for their ill-fate. If things are not solved right now, a tough phase is impending for both the Government as well as the Opposition, which will be hard to control. A possible break out of mass violence and public outburst can result from the present state of affairs if an agreement is not reached immediately.
Miss. Banerjee does not seem to appreciate the need for ancillary technologies to be established in the same land area as the main project (The Nano Project). She’s constantly demanding for an under-pass to be built in order to connect these two projects but she fails to realize the inevitable nexus between the two. The 4-member committee that was set up to review the demands of the Opposition, comprised 2 members from the Government and 2 members from the Opposition, none of whom were experts in automobile manufacturing. They failed to give a proper report and the Government was wrong in that they withdrew the committee just after 4 days of operation, when it was mutually agreed on 7days, according to the deal. A negotiation can never be reached this way if both parties refuse to give up on their stringent principles and demands and acts according to their whims.
What a pity for West Bengal! The Nano Project could have brought glory and fame to its name on the world map but present circumstances are leading to its shame and infamy before the world. The scuffle can never be ended if both parties refuse to compromise on the issue. Mr. Ratan Tata will never be harmed by the exit of “Nano Project” from Bengal. A mere loss of Rs. 1500 crores is not going to hurt him as bad as the farmers who are just living with the hopes of regaining their jobs in the factory. These poor farmers who have already given up their lands and are engaged in various works in the factory are out of their jobs since days and are uncertain about when work is going to be resumed in the factory. Some of them are starving for days but who cares? No one is ready to negotiate and come to a decision whether or not to allow the TATA s to begin work in the factory. Farmers who have not taken compensation for their lands are also suffering and are genuinely befuddled about what their future course of action should be. Should they accept the package or not? Party cadres from both sides are threatening them to abide by the party decisions. Poor souls, I sympathize with them. What else can a common person like me do for those poor farmers when our esteemed politicians are present to decide their destiny?
But I sincerely do request Mr. Bhattacharya and Miss. Banerjee to come to a unanimous negotiation in order to relieve the common man from such bewilderment. Even the business circles are looking forward to this event………which surely is going to be in history someday! Come on Miss. Banerjee, the world is watching us. West Bengal is going to be the birth place of Nano……..the smallest car in the world! We are about to be a part of history. Please don’t do something that will bow our heads in shame instead of raising them with pride. Mr. Bhattacharya please follow the terms in the agreement and calm the chaotic situation in the State just like a responsible Chief Minister. Politicians please think about us and not just the vote bank in the imminent elections. People will definitely vote for the deserving party and may the best person will win. But as of now, stop playing the dirty political games. Don’t just flout the rules of a democratic state and let peace prevail…………………………………………..
