By IANS,
Kolkata : The talks to end the stalemate on the Tata’s Singur plant were postponed from Friday morning to 4 p.m. as the Trinamool Congress-led opposition did not act on the West Bengal governor’s suggestion to temporarily suspend protests and allow normalcy on the Durgapur Expressway, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here.
“Last night, the governor requested the opposition to suspend its ongoing agitation temporarily and clear the national highway and Durgapur Expressway. Till Friday morning the opposition did not take any step in this regard. Keeping this in view, the governor has deferred the meet till 4 p.m.,” Bhattacharjee told reporters.
Asked about the governor’s comments earlier in the day that the state government had asked for the postponement, the chief minister said: “I have not told anybody to defer the meeting. It is the governor’s decision and I think it is correct decision.”
With the Tata Motors, which plans to roll out the world’s cheapest car Nano, suspending operations at its plant in Singur – about 40 km from the state capital Kolkata – and threatening to pull out of the state, Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi had agreed to preside over the discussions Friday between the government and the Trinamool Congress-led farmers group Krishijami Jiban Jibika Raksha Committee (KJJRC).
Since Aug 24, the KJJRC has been on an indefinite sit-in in Singur on the Durgapur Expressway, a part of the National Highway-2 connecting Kolkata and Delhi, demanding the government return 400 acres it has “forcibly” taken from “unwilling farmers” for the project.
The expressway got choked due to the agitation and hearing a petition moved by transporters, the Calcutta High Court last week asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure smooth passage of vehicles through the expressway.
However, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who is spearheading the agitation, said in Singur that the agitators had not blocked the expressway, though she announced that there would be no political activities on the makeshift podium till the talks end.
“We want a positive outcome of the meeting. There will be 100 percent cooperation from our side,” Banerjee said.
“There will be only cultural programmes to observe Teachers’ Day and Ramadan on the dais. There will be no political discussions. When the governor is holding discussions it is our moral duty to cooperate,” she added.
On keeping both flanks of the expressway open, Banerjee said: “One flank of the stretch is open, through which vehicles are plying in both directions.
“Thousands of people are coming to our agitation site every day. One cannot run vehicles in a way that they would be run over.”
Meanwhile, the state government has rushed home secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty to Singur to evaluate the situation on the Expressway.
Expressing his government’s readiness for the talks, Bhattacharjee appealed to the Trinamool and its allies to accede to the governor’s request.
“We have done our homework. We are ready for the discussions. Our papers are also ready. The opposition should understand that since the governor is spearheading this meet they should pay heed to his request. Then a congenial atmosphere will be created, which is very important for such discussions,” he said.
To a query whether he thought the agitation was peaceful, Bhattacharjee shot back: “They (the protestors) are obstructing Tata workers, engineers from entering the factory site. They have virtually stopped buses and threatened Tata engineers and employees there. Is this a peaceful agitation?”
“Some of the engineers have already left Singur. This is a serious situation. And even the dharna mancha (sit-in platform) is erected on the national highway without the permission of the National Highway Authority,” he said.
Responding to another question, Bhattacharjee said: “The Tatas want complete peace in the entire area. Otherwise it is impossible to continue work.”
On whether he wanted Banerjee to participate in the talks, the chief minister said: “If she comes, its well and good…If the governor wants, I can also go.”