Singur verdict: Trinamool's rivals sense political opportunity

Implementing the SC order is likely to be a minefield for the Trinamool Congress-led government

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been trying to expand its footprint in West Bengal at the expense of a shrinking Communist Party of India (Marxist), has found the Supreme Court verdict on Singur land acquisition an opportunity to embarrass the Left parties.

BJP’s West Bengal in-charge Sidharth Nath Singh said the judgment exposed the CPI(M)’s “doublespeak” on land acquisition. “The Left opposed our (central) government’s land acquisition Bill. It said land should be acquired only for public purpose, but in Singur its government had acquired it for a private purpose. So, the Left must explain.”

The CPI(M), however, ruled out any apology for the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led government’s acquisition of the 997.1 acres of land for the Tata Group’s Nano car manufacturing plant at Singur in 2006 and the Congress said it welcomed the judgment.

While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed the apex court verdict “a landmark victory”, its principal rivals in the state — the CPI(M) and the Congress —sensed an opportunity to consolidate their respective positions since implementing the order might be a minefield for the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led government in the state.

Sources in these parties said there was likely to be heartburn among those who had heeded Trinamool’s call and didn’t accept compensation and had resisted acquiring of their lands. The Supreme Court order has allowed those who had accepted the compensation to retain it.

“Several small ancillary units have come up in the area in the past 10 years and it remains to be seen how the state government evicts them,” said a BJP leader. The state government taking possession of land might lead to tension in the area and buttress West Bengal’s anti-industry image.

In Kolkata, CPI(M) state Secretary Surya Kanta Mishra said the land was acquired according to the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.

“We were never opposed to returning the land... Now the question will be how the land will be returned and in what condition. What will happen to those who had taken the compensation and returned the land?” Mishra asked. He said there was no question of an apology from his party. “We have said it clearly earlier that the land cannot be acquired against the wishes of the farmer,” he said.

The Congress, which had a seat-sharing pact with the Left parties in the recent Assembly elections in West Bengal, said it welcomed the verdict but refrained from being excessively critical of the Left parties.