By IANS,
Kolkata: After attacks from the opposition, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Friday her government would not enforce the ordinance to return the Singur land to “unwilling” farmers from whom it was taken for Tata Motors Nano car project.
Instead, the chief minister said, the government will bring a bill on the issue in the budget session of the state assembly.
“After the governor addresses the assembly session, which could open June 13, we are planning to place the bill. We will place only Singur bill in the assembly in this session,” Banerjee told reporters here.
“We are not enforcing the ordinance. Even if we had done so, we would have had to pass it in the house within six months. But Singur is important to us, and people there are turning to me in their helplessness…
“Ordinance is a long procedure. So to speed up matters, so we will bring only the Singur bill from the government side in this session so that no more time is wasted,” said Banerjee.
The chief minister, a first time legislator, however, conceded that she did not understand the system that is followed in the assembly as she has been only involved in parliament.
Banerjee had Thrusday announced that her government had promulgated an ordinance to acquire 400 acres of land at Singur to return it to the farmers, from whom it was taken “against their will” by the previous Left Front regime for the Tata Motors Nano small car project.
“We have promulgated an ordinance. By the ordinance, we will return 400 acres of land at Singur to the unwilling farmers. Cabinet had already taken the decision. The governor has signed the ordinance. The remaining 600 acres of land will be available for industry,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters Thursday.
It created a furore in the political circles.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) termed it as “unconstitutional” and “illegal” as the assembly was in session.
“It is unconstitutional and illegal. It is dangerous for parliamentary democracy. No ordinance can be brought when the assembly is in session,” said Biman Bose, politburo member of the CPI-M and secretary of its state unit.
Returning 400 acres to the farmers was one of the major promises of the Trinamool Congress. Hours after being sworn in as chief minister May 20, Banerjee got the decision passed in the first cabinet meeting of the new regime.