By IANS
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is monitoring the tense situation in Nandigram in West Bengal and has spoken to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the issue, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Monday.
The prime minister was also in touch with Home Minister Shivraj Patil on the ground situation in Nandigram, where pitched battles continue to be fought between the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the BUPC (Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee).
“The prime minister is monitoring the situation and has also spoken to the chief minister of West Bengal,” the PMO said in a statement.
Manmohan Singh left for Moscow Sunday on a two-day visit that will further strengthen strategic and economic ties between India and Russia.
The home ministry has already despatched a battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force to improve security in Nandigram.
Violence in the area in East Midnapore district has claimed 34 lives since January, when the region flared up over proposed land acquisition for a special economic zone (SEZ). The state government scrapped the plan later in the face of stiff resistance.
However, a turf battle continues in Nandigram between the CPI-M and the BUPC in the run-up to local body elections in May next year.