Ex-judge sets the record straight
By BARUN GHOSH
Calcutta, Sept. 9: The legal adviser to the governor has told The Telegraph that “there was no talk of 300 acres” at the meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday.
“I was present at Sunday’s meeting between the chief minister and Mamata Banerjee. There it was decided that a few acres of land from within the project area would be given to the farmers who have not yet collected the cheques, but there was no talk of 300 acres,” former chief justice Chittatosh Mookerjee said tonight.
The revelation, which contradicts Mamata’s claim that prompted the Tatas to seek a clarification from the government and keep work suspended at Singur, is certain to add to the mounting pressure on the Trinamul Congress leader to defuse the crisis.
Mamata’s interaction with Jyoti Basu and the reluctance of her party to get involved with the hunt for alternative land outside the Singur complex have fuelled speculation that she might not be averse to scaling down her demands.
“Even in the resolution, the word ‘maximum’ has been mentioned as the maximum possible that could be handed over at the project site. If both sides take extreme positions, then the matter will never be resolved,” Mookerjee, who provided legal assistance during the talks, added.
Mamata has been insisting that the Sunday statement — which mentions “land to be provided to the maximum within the project area” — meant most of the allotment would be from inside the complex.
A few hours before Mookerjee’s disclosure, a Raj Bhavan official said governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi was “pained” at the way the spirit of the agreement was being “misinterpreted”.
“The Opposition claim that most of the land in the rehabilitation package would come from within the project area goes against the spirit of the agreement and the governor is pained by its misinterpretation,” the official said.
Gandhi today met Mookerjee and state advocate-general Balai Ray separately, apparently to seek views on how to clear the air. Chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb and home secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti apprised the governor of the outcome of the first meeting of a four-member committee on Singur land.
“The governor was told that two members of the committee (Trinamul representatives Rabindranath Bhattacharya and Becharam Manna ) were insisting on the return of 300 acres of land from within the project site,” an official said.
Sources said the relevant sentence in the first draft was “to the maximum extent possible” but the word “possible”, which would have precluded any ambiguity, was dropped on the Opposition’s insistence.
Trinamul leader Partha Chatterjee, one of the signatories of the statement, refused either to confirm or deny the version. “There were so many drafts and so many changes. I don’t know whether there was any such word or not. What matters now is that the government agreed to the final draft,” Chatterjee said.
Sensing a minefield ahead, Trinamul today sought to cry off the land hunt. The agreement requires the party to “co-operate” with the government in finding land inside and outside the Singur complex for rehabilitation of landlosers.
But Bhattacharya, the Trinamul MLA from Singur, and Manna, the leader of the Save Farmland Committee, said neither the party nor the resistance outfit would assume the responsibility. “Acquiring or securing land cannot be our job,” said Bhattacharya. “It’s the government’s job.” Manna echoed the sentiments.
The two know well that seeking to find land in Singur will be akin to playing with fire, especially with prices going through the roof and potential sellers biding their time to make a bigger killing.
The duo also made it clear to the rest of the panel members that their brief was to “go through” the papers and “not to sign anything”, lending credence to a perception that Mamata had deliberately put lightweights on the committee. “In the event of unfavourable findings, she can always say the party nominees could not present their case properly,” a Trinamul leader said.(END) Source: The Telegraph
Calcutta, Sept. 9: The legal adviser to the governor has told The Telegraph that “there was no talk of 300 acres” at the meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday.
“I was present at Sunday’s meeting between the chief minister and Mamata Banerjee. There it was decided that a few acres of land from within the project area would be given to the farmers who have not yet collected the cheques, but there was no talk of 300 acres,” former chief justice Chittatosh Mookerjee said tonight.
The revelation, which contradicts Mamata’s claim that prompted the Tatas to seek a clarification from the government and keep work suspended at Singur, is certain to add to the mounting pressure on the Trinamul Congress leader to defuse the crisis.
Mamata’s interaction with Jyoti Basu and the reluctance of her party to get involved with the hunt for alternative land outside the Singur complex have fuelled speculation that she might not be averse to scaling down her demands.
“Even in the resolution, the word ‘maximum’ has been mentioned as the maximum possible that could be handed over at the project site. If both sides take extreme positions, then the matter will never be resolved,” Mookerjee, who provided legal assistance during the talks, added.
Mamata has been insisting that the Sunday statement — which mentions “land to be provided to the maximum within the project area” — meant most of the allotment would be from inside the complex.
A few hours before Mookerjee’s disclosure, a Raj Bhavan official said governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi was “pained” at the way the spirit of the agreement was being “misinterpreted”.
“The Opposition claim that most of the land in the rehabilitation package would come from within the project area goes against the spirit of the agreement and the governor is pained by its misinterpretation,” the official said.
Gandhi today met Mookerjee and state advocate-general Balai Ray separately, apparently to seek views on how to clear the air. Chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb and home secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti apprised the governor of the outcome of the first meeting of a four-member committee on Singur land.
“The governor was told that two members of the committee (Trinamul representatives Rabindranath Bhattacharya and Becharam Manna ) were insisting on the return of 300 acres of land from within the project site,” an official said.
Sources said the relevant sentence in the first draft was “to the maximum extent possible” but the word “possible”, which would have precluded any ambiguity, was dropped on the Opposition’s insistence.
Trinamul leader Partha Chatterjee, one of the signatories of the statement, refused either to confirm or deny the version. “There were so many drafts and so many changes. I don’t know whether there was any such word or not. What matters now is that the government agreed to the final draft,” Chatterjee said.
Sensing a minefield ahead, Trinamul today sought to cry off the land hunt. The agreement requires the party to “co-operate” with the government in finding land inside and outside the Singur complex for rehabilitation of landlosers.
But Bhattacharya, the Trinamul MLA from Singur, and Manna, the leader of the Save Farmland Committee, said neither the party nor the resistance outfit would assume the responsibility. “Acquiring or securing land cannot be our job,” said Bhattacharya. “It’s the government’s job.” Manna echoed the sentiments.
The two know well that seeking to find land in Singur will be akin to playing with fire, especially with prices going through the roof and potential sellers biding their time to make a bigger killing.
The duo also made it clear to the rest of the panel members that their brief was to “go through” the papers and “not to sign anything”, lending credence to a perception that Mamata had deliberately put lightweights on the committee. “In the event of unfavourable findings, she can always say the party nominees could not present their case properly,” a Trinamul leader said.(END) Source: The Telegraph
Bedside diplomacy
By BISWAJIT ROY AND INDRANIL GHOSH
Calcutta, Sept. 9: An ailing Jyoti Basu’s bedside has offered the CPM an unlikely venue to request Mamata Banerjee to take a “reasonable stand” on the Singur controversy.
The patriarch also reportedly requested the Trinamul leader to “sort out the problems amicably” when she called on the ailing leader in the intensive care unit of a city hospital.
After the interaction, a CPM leader said: “We got the impression that she would not stick to her claim of 300 acres. She, too, knows very well that it would be difficult to convince the Tatas to give up a substantial part of the land meant for ancillary units. We hope that the hiccups will be cleared by this week.”
A Trinamul leader said: “She also told Jyotibabu that he is not to worry, things would be sorted out soon.” The Trinamul source refused to say whether Mamata was referring to Basu’s health or the Singur impasse.
In view of the informal contact with the Mamata camp, the CPM postponed a meeting of the Left Front, slated for this evening, sources said.
Mamata wished Basu a speedy recovery and presented him a bouquet of flowers. Opposition leader Partha Chatterjee, who signed the Sunday Singur agreement on behalf of Trinamul, accompanied her.
“I pray for your recovery. Get well soon. The country’s politics still needs you,’’ Chatterjee quoted Mamata as telling Basu. He said Basu and Mamata spoke to each other for a few minutes but declined to divulge what transpired.
CPM sources said the patriarch thanked her for calling on him and also for talking to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Singur. “Both of you should be in contact to solve the land issue and ensure that the Tata project stays in Bengal,’’ a CPM leader quoted Basu as saying.
“Amra 67-68-e esab korechi. Ekhon apnara korchen (We have done these things in 1967-68, today you are doing this),” Basu reminded Mamata, apparently referring to the militant peasant movement.
But, as in the dispute over the word “maximum” in the Singur agreement, Trinamul had a different version. “Amra to 68 theke chalacchi. Ekhon tomra koro (We are running the government from 1968. Now it is your turn).” This is how a Trinamul leader quoted Basu, referring to the United Front government.
“My days are coming to an end,” Basu told Mamata with a smile. “Now it’s the turn of younger people like you.”
Moved, Mamata told Basu: “Please don’t say things that make us sad.”
She re-arranged the pillows, helping the veteran to recline against them. “Why is it that you do not allow an attendant in your room, why do you go to the bathroom on your own?” Mamata said, drawing another smile from Basu.
Mamata sought Basu’s permission to bring in a few more visitors. Basu nodded and smiled again when he saw Samir Putatunda, who was once with the CPM and now a Trinamul ally, and his wife trooping in. “Why, they were all with us till sometime back, then went away one day,” Basu said.
He also greeted Purnendu Bose, a Naxalite member of the Save Farmland Committee. “Oh, you too,” Basu said. (END) Source : The Telegraph
Other related stories from The Telegarph
Tatas to govt: Keep us in picture
The Tatas have written to the Bengal government they want to be “cle-arly” told about any commitment “which would go contrary to our agreement” on a day the Trinamul Congress iterated its demand for 300 acres from the Nano project.... Read..
March for plant and wait for land
Nearly 3,000 Singur residents today brought out a procession demanding industrialisation and resumption of work at the T ... Read..
Singur replay threat in Katwa
Farmers protesting land acquisition plans for a power plant in Katwa today warned of a backlash like the ones in Singur ... Read..
By BISWAJIT ROY AND INDRANIL GHOSH
Calcutta, Sept. 9: An ailing Jyoti Basu’s bedside has offered the CPM an unlikely venue to request Mamata Banerjee to take a “reasonable stand” on the Singur controversy.
The patriarch also reportedly requested the Trinamul leader to “sort out the problems amicably” when she called on the ailing leader in the intensive care unit of a city hospital.
After the interaction, a CPM leader said: “We got the impression that she would not stick to her claim of 300 acres. She, too, knows very well that it would be difficult to convince the Tatas to give up a substantial part of the land meant for ancillary units. We hope that the hiccups will be cleared by this week.”
A Trinamul leader said: “She also told Jyotibabu that he is not to worry, things would be sorted out soon.” The Trinamul source refused to say whether Mamata was referring to Basu’s health or the Singur impasse.
In view of the informal contact with the Mamata camp, the CPM postponed a meeting of the Left Front, slated for this evening, sources said.
Mamata wished Basu a speedy recovery and presented him a bouquet of flowers. Opposition leader Partha Chatterjee, who signed the Sunday Singur agreement on behalf of Trinamul, accompanied her.
“I pray for your recovery. Get well soon. The country’s politics still needs you,’’ Chatterjee quoted Mamata as telling Basu. He said Basu and Mamata spoke to each other for a few minutes but declined to divulge what transpired.
CPM sources said the patriarch thanked her for calling on him and also for talking to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Singur. “Both of you should be in contact to solve the land issue and ensure that the Tata project stays in Bengal,’’ a CPM leader quoted Basu as saying.
“Amra 67-68-e esab korechi. Ekhon apnara korchen (We have done these things in 1967-68, today you are doing this),” Basu reminded Mamata, apparently referring to the militant peasant movement.
But, as in the dispute over the word “maximum” in the Singur agreement, Trinamul had a different version. “Amra to 68 theke chalacchi. Ekhon tomra koro (We are running the government from 1968. Now it is your turn).” This is how a Trinamul leader quoted Basu, referring to the United Front government.
“My days are coming to an end,” Basu told Mamata with a smile. “Now it’s the turn of younger people like you.”
Moved, Mamata told Basu: “Please don’t say things that make us sad.”
She re-arranged the pillows, helping the veteran to recline against them. “Why is it that you do not allow an attendant in your room, why do you go to the bathroom on your own?” Mamata said, drawing another smile from Basu.
Mamata sought Basu’s permission to bring in a few more visitors. Basu nodded and smiled again when he saw Samir Putatunda, who was once with the CPM and now a Trinamul ally, and his wife trooping in. “Why, they were all with us till sometime back, then went away one day,” Basu said.
He also greeted Purnendu Bose, a Naxalite member of the Save Farmland Committee. “Oh, you too,” Basu said. (END) Source : The Telegraph
Other related stories from The Telegarph
Tatas to govt: Keep us in picture
The Tatas have written to the Bengal government they want to be “cle-arly” told about any commitment “which would go contrary to our agreement” on a day the Trinamul Congress iterated its demand for 300 acres from the Nano project.... Read..
March for plant and wait for land
Nearly 3,000 Singur residents today brought out a procession demanding industrialisation and resumption of work at the T ... Read..
Singur replay threat in Katwa
Farmers protesting land acquisition plans for a power plant in Katwa today warned of a backlash like the ones in Singur ... Read..
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