Terming the Singur land acquisition for Tata a mistake, the CPI on Friday blamed CPI(M) for it and said this led to the surge of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal. Singur episode created a “negative impression” of the left Front’s attitude towards farmers and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, now West Bengal Chief Minister, took “full advantage” of it politically, said CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy.
He was responding to media in Hyderabad to queries on the Supreme Court verdict which, quashed the entire land acquisition process carried out by the erstwhile left Front government in West Bengal. Soon in the evening the party in New Delhi also issued statement putting blame on CPI(M), which was the big brother in the left coalition in West Bengal. However CPI(M) not yet responded to CPI’s criticism.
“She (Mamata Banerjee) was successful in creating a negative impression about the left but on the whole, Bengal lost (a big industry). I believe that even in the coming period, there will be a negative impact (on industrial investment),” said Reddy.
“Though the government had taken over the land with the good intention of bringing in a big industry which would have provided employment and revenue to the state, but the method adopted was not correct. They (the left government) should have convinced the peasants. Those who did not want (to give land), should have been given alternative lands and more compensation (should have been paid) and all that. Unfortunately, the government there made a mistake,” he said.
“The left Front could have dealt the issue in a better way by providing reasonable compensation and alternate land. The method adopted was not correct and put the left in entire country in embarrassment. The credibility of the left suffered. Trinmool Congress took advantage of the mistakes and a political agitation was launched. The whole deal costed left Front and lost the election also,” said CPI in a statement in New Delhi, soon after the party general secretary blamed the CPI(M) controlled left coalition for the mess in Singur land acquisition for Tata’s controversial Nano Car project.