New Delhi: Massive crowds greeted Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee as she started an indefinite agitation in Singur from Sunday onwards.
Banerjee said she would not budge from her stand of demanding the 400 acres of land taken for the TATA Nano project in Singur and her prime concern was the farmers of Singur, and not the car factory.
She also urged the ruling Left Front partners RSP and Forward Bloc to join the indefinite agitation.
Earlier, reacting to Ratan Tata's statement that the TATA Group could be thinking about exiting from the Nano project in the interest of the safety of its employees, Banerjee said, "We don't want anybody to move out of West Bengal, but at the same time, we will not bow to any kind of pressure."
She blamed the state government for the crisis in Singur and said it had not yet made public the finer aspects of the land deal with the Tatas, despite several demands.
On Thursday, Commerce and Industries Minister of West Bengal Nirupam Sen and Ratan Tata held talks over TATA Motor's small car plant at Singur.
Sen apprised TATA on the recent talks between the government and the Opposition Trinamool Congress party to resolve the Singur land impasse.
TATA Motors started to construct its factory in Singur in January 2007 to make the world's cheapest car. The Nano was unveiled by Ratan Tata in January this year, and is likely to hit the roads by October.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh was also present at the agitation site and said, “I see a pattern in the Left and their ally Mayawati who killed farmers in UP and now they are doing the same in Singur. I support Mamata Bannerjee's efforts to save the farmers.”
“The CPI should have thought before pushing Tata into this controversy. They should have consulted the government and landowners before doing anything,” Singh added.
Massive security was deployed on the adjoining Durgapur Expressway leading to Singur. Police personnel, mostly unarmed, had a tough time in controlling the surging crowd.
The Trinamool Congress has set up 21 camps around the car factory for the indefinite dharna.
More talks needed to sort out Singur issue: CPI(M)
More talks are needed to sort out the Singur land impasse and as a first step towards resolving it, the number of farmers unwilling to part with their land should be determined, the CPI(M) said on Sunday.
"There can be more discussions and the number of unwilling farmers determined," CPI(M) politburo member and party's West Bengal state Committee Biman Bose said.
The CPI(M) leader's comment came shortly after the Trinamool Congress launched its indefinite dharna near the Tata Motors' small car plant site.
Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata had earlier threatened to quit West Bengal following violence at the project site over land acquisition for Nano project.
Bose said after the initial talks between Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee and Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee, there should be exchange of papers and documents to ascertain claims and counter claims.
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