By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s move to return 400 acres of Singur factory land to farmers from whom land had been taken allegedly against their will by the erstwhile Left Front regime for the Tata’s small car plant received the thumbs up from the Communist Party of India (CPI) Saturday.
CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan also termed the land acquisition of the Left Front as “wrong”.
Stressing that his party – a component of the Left Front – has consistently been against acquisition of agricultural land, Bardhan told media persons: “The decision to return land to Singur’s unwilling farmers is good”.
However, he said legal matters were posing a hurdle in giving back the land to the farmers.
Bardhan criticised Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) for not paying heed to the CPI’s stand that the government should explore areas like Purulia for setting up the plant.
“We had told the CPI-M why they are not exploring Purulia. But they told us that the Tatas want the Singur land.
“I have seen many projects in the country, but none required 1,000 acres of land. My party protested as much as it could within the government,” he commented.
On the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s decision to hike petro-product rates, the CPI leader said it would have a spiralling effect on the prices of essentials.
“We will launch a movement across India against the government’s decision along with oher left parties. We talking to other Left parties for a broadbased movement on the issue,” he said.