New Delhi, Aug 31: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who first came to power riding the wave of the protests against the Singur land deal, said on Wednesday that she can die in peace after the Supreme Court quashed the land acquisition.
At the same time, though, she emphasized that despite her opposition to the deal that helped the Tata group get land for its Nano car project, it should not be forgotten that West Bengal is industry-friendly.
"I had dreamt of this SC verdict for so long, for the people of Singur. Now I can die in peace. West Bengal is the final industrial destination, keep that in mind," said Banerjee, who first became chief minister of the state in 2011.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled the deal through which the former Left government in West Bengal acquired 1,000 acres in Singur in 2006 to help Tata set up its Nano car manufacturing plant. The land was acquired by the CPM government when Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was chief minister.
"We waited for ten years for this judgment. It is a victory for the farmers. I would expect everyone to celebrate this Singur utsav, it's like an invocation of the celebration to Durga Puja," the CM added, referring to the upcoming Puja celebrations.
In 2006, in Singur, Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress (TMC) began agitating against Tata Motors acquiring land for the Nano project. The project faced massive opposition from displaced farmers, and, surprisingly, leftist activists also shared the platform with Banerjee's TMC.
Questions were also raised about the Left government's allegedly forcible acquisition, made under the colonial Land Acquisition Act of 1894. So strong were Banerjee's protests and hunger strikes that in 2008, Tata finally dropped the project.
Now, Banerjee and the TMC are delighted with the verdict.
"We will call for a strategy meeting tomorrow at 4 pm to discuss how to implement the deal," the CM said.
The Supreme Court has asked the West Bengal government to undertake a survey to return the land to the original owners within 10 weeks.
Upon hearing the verdict, farmers and locals erupted in joy and celebrated by throwing gulal on each other. They also raised slogans in praise of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
"This is a landmark victory after we thought of the new name for the state of West Bengal. We're very happy with the decision," Banerjee said.
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