NDA Statement on Mamata Banerjee


27-12-2006
Press Release

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

STATEMENT ON MAMATA BANERJEE

27th DEC 2006


The National Democratic Alliance is deeply concerned over the sharply deteriorating health of Kum. Mamata Banerjee, whose fast for the dispossessed farmers of Singur in West Bengal is now 24 days old. The entire country is worried about her condition and urgent steps must be taken by the Left Front Government in West Bengal and the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre to save her life. If Miss Banerjee’s condition were to further deteriorate and, God forbid, anything happen to her, the country will hold the insensitive and arrogant CPI(M)-led Government of Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the Union Government solely responsible. Farmers, who constitute 70 per cent of India’s population, will never forgive the anti-people governments in West Bengal and at the Centre, if anything were to happen to our colleague in the NDA, Miss Mamata Banerjee.

The NDA expresses its solidarity with Miss Banerjee’s death-defying agitation to safeguard the land and livelihood of farmers. Despite the high decibel propaganda of the CPI(M), it is now abundantly clear that a large number of kisans have been terrorised by the police and CPI(M) cadre into parting with their landholdings, although many are still holding out refusing to accept the compensation offered. There is no justification for seizing fertile, multi-crop farmland from hapless agriculturists when industries can easily be set up on uncultivated or, at best, single crop-producing, land.

The NDA notes with dismay the double standards of the Union Government, which rushed a team led by the Water Resources Minister when a handful of agitators created disturbances in connection with the raising of the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Since the beneficiary States in that case happened to be NDA-ruled, the Union Government gleefully attempted to instigate trouble. Only the Supreme Court’s timely intervention prevented further mischief.

In light of Miss Banerjee’s critical condition and the blatant unfairness of the West Bengal Government’s land acquisition policy at Singur, the NDA demands:

    1. Those farmers/cultivators who have not given consent and/or not taken the cheque offered by the State Government against their land, must be returned their land with immediate effect.
    2. The West Bengal Government renegotiate with Tata Motors to give up multi-crop land and accept an alternate site for their township and real estate project.
    3. The Prime Minister speak forthrightly to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and ask him to get off the high horse and recognise the explosive nature of the situation.

In the event of the Prime Minister waking up from his slumber even at this late hour and accepting the demands listed above, the NDA will actively plead with Miss Banerjee to break her indefinite fast. The NDA reiterates its full support to her cause and will assist in every possible way to bring her agitation to a victorious conclusion.

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