Mamata thaws, agrees to talks with Centre over Singur

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Kolkata, Aug 18 : After a two-year battle, the Trinamool Congress has finally responded to an invitation from chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to sit across the table and discuss the Singur logjam, which has almost paralysed the Left Front government’s industrialization drive since September 2006.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, who has been agitating against the government’s land acquisition for the Tata Motors’ small-car project at Singur and wants the government to return almost half the land to farmers unwilling to move out, responded promptly to the latest invitation, extended by him on Monday.

“Why this delay in writing the letter?” asked Mamata, while briefing reporters. She said Partha Chatterjee, the Trinamool legislator who is also leader of the Opposition, and Purnendu Bose, a leader of a farmers’ body created by her for the battle, would attend the meeting. Bhattacharjee has requested Mamata to suggest a venue and date if she agrees to talks. Trinamool sources said Mamata would like the meeting to be held on August 20.

Mamata remained adamant that talks or no talks the government should return 400 acres of the 997 acres acquired for the project and its ancillaries. Her point: this land was forcibly acquired from farmers not willing to move out.

“If the 400 acres is not returned, we will not allow the Tata factory to come up,” Mamata said on Monday. The government has been saying that it is not possible to return any land whatsoever at the project site, especially now with the first Nano scheduled to roll out in October.

“Why is he calling a meeting just when we are getting ready to launch a movement?” Mamata said. “Anyway, we are going for talks and we will force the government to agree to our demand.” commerce & industries minister Nirupam Sen, Bhattacharjee’s pointsman in the industrialization drive, welcomed Mamata’s stand.

“We don’t know when and where the talks will be held, but I am confident that they will bear fruit,” said Sen, who had himself made an almost last-ditch appeal to the Singur opponents a fortnight ago after Tata Motors managing director Ravi Kant hinted that the company’s patience was limited.