A day before Singur, the cradle of ‘Nano Revolution’ of 2006 — which proved to be the Trafalgar of the mighty Left Front in Bengal catapulting Mamata Banerjee to power — goes to vote the a large section of the voters still wonder whether the Tata Motor’s ouster from the disputed territory was a prudent decision.
The entire Singur block seems to be vertically divided over whether anti-land acquisition movement that swerved the entire rural folk, the main support base of the Marxists, towards Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress overdid itself in driving away the Tatas from the region.
Bifal Bangal a local says “Tata Nano plant should have been allowed to function because it would have given not only Singur or Hooghly district but whole of Bengal a huge economic boost. Today we though Didi (Chief Minister) is taking care of us we are fed up of being dependent upon the Government like beggars.”
Binapani Biswas from Bajemelia village says, “Didi has done enough for us. She stood by us when the CPI(M) forcibly took away our land and gave it to the Tatas,” asserting boastfully “we have taught the CPI(M) a lesson. Now Didi is taking care of us. She is giving us Rs 2-a-kg rice and bicycles to students and Rs 25,000 for marriageable students.”
But Brajo Bera of Khasherbheri another village says, “we have been reduced to beggars. Our lands were taken away by the CPI(M). We were convinced by the TMC that our land would be returned. Yes they were returned but come and see whether we can cultivate it. It is a wasteland now. It seems now that we should have allowed the Tatas to stay here so that our next generation could have lived with pride and not on the doles of the Government.”
For Bireshwar Manna a local from Beraberi village who had been trained by the Tatas to work in the Nano car factory “all hopes have been lost. Now I work as a courier boy in Howrah earning Rs 7,000 and travelling more than 35 km per day. Had the Tatas been there my salary would have been Rs 40,000 or so,” he rues. Manna had joined the long walk along to Kolkata organized by the Left Front a few months ago.
He says one car factory that too by the industry captain like the Tatas would have revived the fortunes of Bengal and Hooghly would have become another Jamshedpur in the vicinity of Kolkata. “Only Didi did not allow that to happen,” he says helplessly.
“We know that the CPI(M) is the best party and they have the best candidate but can they survive the massive advertorial onslaught of the BJP and the TMC. Crores of rupees are being splurged in the elections but no one looks up at us,” says Basanti Manna a woman from Singher Bheri who had given away her land “looking at the future of my son. But nothing happened.”
As of now about 70-80 percent of the Singur acres lie fallow. “The Government won the case from the Supreme Court. We rejoiced. But now we understand that the court order went against our interests. It only stoked the ego of one side. The court should have understood that a land with 5-10 feet of concrete cannot be cultivated,” says Haridas Malakar of Singur town.
Part of Singur block is in Hooghly and part of it falls in Arambagh parliamentary constituency — both of which presently retained by the TMC.
On who will win the elections, locals seem divided saying the BJP is practically trying to feed on the Marxist vote bank. “The BJP may win if the people can vote,” says a local refusing to give his name. The reason: “more than anything else the people are very angry because the voters were not allowed to vote in the panchayat elections. Even the TMC supporters were driven away.”
Another villager says “it is the TMC supporters who are likely to vote for the BJP more than the Left this time round.”
However, Becharam Manna a local TMC leader and MLA says “the people still are with Didi and will vote for her in hordes.” His voice is echoed by Anjan Patra a shopkeeper. “TMC will win because the BJP is present among the people through the whatsapp but the TMC has its organsiation intact.”