Month: September 2010

Mamata Banerjee is not happy with just an amendment to the Land Acquisition Bill, 1894. The Trinamool Congress chief wants the existing law to be scrapped altogether, and a new law to be put in place that will protect the interest of the farmers. A proposal regarding this has been submitted to the Centre. To her close aides in the party, the trinamool chief has described the 1894 act as “draconian and colonial”. Trinamool Congress is against the state governments move to acquire land on behalf of private companies. The Trinamool supremo does not want the government to play any role in the process. She wants the law to make sure that there should be a clear definition of “public purpose” in the acquisition law. Before the acquisition process starts for any project, social and environment impact studies would have to be done. Acquisition process must not begin without the concerned villagers’ consent. In the existing framework there is no such scope. She also wants the compensation and rehabilitation packages to be settled before the process starts. Mamata Banerjee’s line of thinking on land acquisition is now being echoed by even the topmost leaders of the Congress.
Image Courtesy: The Times of India

On her recent visit to north Bengal, Railway Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee announced many railway development projects for the region. “Give us a little more space to set foot here. I am not a fair weather friend. I am consistently working for north Bengal,” the Trinamool supremo told a railway programme in New Jalpaiguri near here. “Whatever I have announced today I will give more to north Bengal,” she said. She laid the foundation stone of a rail axle factory for which Rs 300 crore was sanctioned, announced a number of trains and the beginning of gauge conversion work for two lines among other projects. She said that the Railways was thinking of partnering SAIL to help accelerate the axle project which would generate employment for a few thousand youths. There was 100 acre for the project which would “address the future needs of north Bengal”, she said. Noting that she planned to convert north Bengal with its natural beauty into Switzerland, she said she was also trying her best to improve communication facilities there. Ms. Banerjee said she was against dividing the state into north and south and was trying to join the two through development. She also said that she would shortly visit Darjeeling and talk to the people for improving the services of the existing toy train, a major tourist attraction. “I want the Darjeeling problem to be solved soon,” she said. When we spoke to someone in North Bengal he responded, “There is only one true leader in West Bengal and that is Mamata Banerjee.”

Wishing you all a happy Eid and a glorious Ganesh Chaturthi. May happiness and peace prevail.

The mediapersons, who were injured in the CPM attack at Pirakata in Lalgarh on Friday, had to drive themselves to Midnapore Sadar Hospital. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee demanded immediate intervention of the Union home ministry in Lalgarh. Drawing a parallel between the “capture of Dharampur” and the Nandigram “recapture”, Trinamool Supremo said that the Centre should suspend operation by paramilitary forces.”CPM had adopted the same strategy in Nandigram. But it didn’t pay off and CPM had to quit. The rule of law has collapsed in Lalgarh. Neither the Opposition nor the media are being allowed in. CPM cadres are taking shelter behind central forces and attacking opposition party workers,” she alleged.
Image Source: The Times of India

Peace march in Patrosayor begins today. Expedition towards Keshpur begins on 6. March from Dharampur to Lalgarh on 9. Agitation in DM-SP office on 13. Ms. Mamata Banerjee’s march from Shaashon to Bhangar begins on 15. Towards Nanoor on 19 and a call to “Go to Singur” on 25.
Image Courtesy: www.ilovekolkata.in

Home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday finally endorsed her allegation of armed CPM camps in Jangalmahal – a point her party has been trying to make for a long time. Responding to a question in Delhi on Wednesday, Chidambaram said: “I think it’s generally agreed now that there are some camps in parts of West Bengal and there are cadres in these camps who carry arms.” He hastened to add: “Law and order is a state subject. Our duty is to bring these facts to the notice of the Bengal government and ask them to take appropriate action. We have done so, and I hope that the state government will look into these armed camps.”
Courtesy: Times of India
Image Courtesy: www.originaldissent.com

Addressing a large gathering at Baghajatin – in chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s assembly constituency – Mamata said that the Left Front government had no moral right to continue in power after Chidambaram’s statement. “Not only the home minister, even the governor has submitted a report on the same lines. How can the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government cling to power after all this? When Mamata says something, it is a lie. What now, when the governor and the home minister have made the same observations?” she said. “We have said all along that the government has handed firearms to CPM cadres in 9-10 districts. This is a clear violation of constitutional norms.”
Courtesy: Times of India
Image Courtesy: Sambad Pratidin

The UPA government on Tuesday defended railway minister Mamata Banerjee’s speech at the Lalgarh rally on August 9, saying the Trinamool Congress leader had said nothing to contradict the Centre’s official position over the Maoist issue. Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said Mamata had only spoken against violence and that she wanted the peace process to start. “Whatever she said doesn’t contradict the government position at all. She spoke in her capacity as Trinamool leader and the gathering there had been organised by an ex-IAS officer,” said Bansal, shortly before the Upper House was adjourned sine die.
Courtesy: The Times of India