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Ekti car, phele dilo sarkar (a car that pulled down a Government)!" Thus reads an impressive festoon at Joymolla, one of the moujas of Singur that vehemently opposed Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's land acquisition for the Tata's Nano project.
Suddenly the once despondent block -- that now boasts of the State's School Education Minister in the new Mamata Banerjee Cabinet -- has gone ecstatic with hopes of getting back their 'forcibly' occupied land. The first thing Mamata did after assuming charge was to declare that the 400 acre land 'acquired' by the Left Front Government would be returned to farmers, while on the remaining 600 acre a factory would come up, she announced.
"We knew that Didi is different from all other netas of the country. She knows how to keep her promises. We have great expectations from her," said a pleased Amiyo Garudas of Khasherbheri mouja, whose father lost four bighas to the Nano project, but did not receive compensation from the Government. He then joined the anti-acquisition movement.
Biplab Hajari of Joymolla said, "Who were they to take away our land? Now they have got a slap on their face. Buddhadeb would see Didi returning the land to us and faint in shame."
More than 2,000 peasants had resisted the acquisition of 1,000 acre of land for the project while about 8,000 had accepted the compensation giving up their land to the Government. Interestingly, Nioyti Manna was one of those "unwilling" protesters who felt different now.
"Yes, we protested the Government's forcible takeover of the land. But now we believe in Didi. If she shows that affection for us and asks us to part it with the land, we will certainly give that for development. But for that we want added compensation and a job" Niyoti said.
Another farmer at neighbouring Singherbheri was equally ecstatic. "We came out of our homes, danced and had a small party in the night. We remember Tapasi Malik the most now. We remember how she lost her life for the movement. But now her dream of getting back our land has come true. Thanks to Didi" he said.
"She may be Mamata Banerjee to you but Didi to us," he reminded before putting forward a "small demand." With the possibility of getting their land back, many "unwilling" farmers have now started wondering whether they could ask for a compensation package as well.
"Our land has been rendered into a concrete floor. How will we be able to cultivate it if the Government does not again make it crop-worthy?" asked Nando Maiti, a local, telling the Government to also consider a package so that we can start our cultivation all over again.
On the growing expectations of the villagers, local MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharjee had this to say: "First we will have to arrange for the transfer of the land because that involves some legal procedures as well."
According to sources, the Government is mulling a number of ways on how to get back the land. "It is not totally impossible but it is difficult in a sense that the Supreme Court has already ruled against giving back land thus acquired in a number of cases," former Industry Minister Nirupam Sen added, "Let us wait and see how they handle the legal problem."
"The Government would take opinion from the new Advocate General," said a senior Trinamool leader, adding the Chief Minister was personally interested in the issue. One of the possible ways the Government might take is to adopt the Tamil Nadu model of returning the land by creating a separate law in the State Assembly which would be applicable to the State.
But then, in this case the Tatas have already renewed their lease for this year and so they would have to be taken into confidence. In the past, Ratan Tata had reportedly told the Left Government he would expect it to make good the money invested in the botched project as a precondition for restoring the land.
Trinamool sources, however, said the party had no problem in the Tatas starting a factory on 600 acres of the land. A youth from Khasherbheri said, "We want jobs because we had taken three years' training after giving away the lands. We want industry here and are not concerned who does it, Mamata or Buddhadeb."
Suddenly the once despondent block -- that now boasts of the State's School Education Minister in the new Mamata Banerjee Cabinet -- has gone ecstatic with hopes of getting back their 'forcibly' occupied land. The first thing Mamata did after assuming charge was to declare that the 400 acre land 'acquired' by the Left Front Government would be returned to farmers, while on the remaining 600 acre a factory would come up, she announced.
"We knew that Didi is different from all other netas of the country. She knows how to keep her promises. We have great expectations from her," said a pleased Amiyo Garudas of Khasherbheri mouja, whose father lost four bighas to the Nano project, but did not receive compensation from the Government. He then joined the anti-acquisition movement.
Biplab Hajari of Joymolla said, "Who were they to take away our land? Now they have got a slap on their face. Buddhadeb would see Didi returning the land to us and faint in shame."
More than 2,000 peasants had resisted the acquisition of 1,000 acre of land for the project while about 8,000 had accepted the compensation giving up their land to the Government. Interestingly, Nioyti Manna was one of those "unwilling" protesters who felt different now.
"Yes, we protested the Government's forcible takeover of the land. But now we believe in Didi. If she shows that affection for us and asks us to part it with the land, we will certainly give that for development. But for that we want added compensation and a job" Niyoti said.
Another farmer at neighbouring Singherbheri was equally ecstatic. "We came out of our homes, danced and had a small party in the night. We remember Tapasi Malik the most now. We remember how she lost her life for the movement. But now her dream of getting back our land has come true. Thanks to Didi" he said.
"She may be Mamata Banerjee to you but Didi to us," he reminded before putting forward a "small demand." With the possibility of getting their land back, many "unwilling" farmers have now started wondering whether they could ask for a compensation package as well.
"Our land has been rendered into a concrete floor. How will we be able to cultivate it if the Government does not again make it crop-worthy?" asked Nando Maiti, a local, telling the Government to also consider a package so that we can start our cultivation all over again.
On the growing expectations of the villagers, local MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharjee had this to say: "First we will have to arrange for the transfer of the land because that involves some legal procedures as well."
According to sources, the Government is mulling a number of ways on how to get back the land. "It is not totally impossible but it is difficult in a sense that the Supreme Court has already ruled against giving back land thus acquired in a number of cases," former Industry Minister Nirupam Sen added, "Let us wait and see how they handle the legal problem."
"The Government would take opinion from the new Advocate General," said a senior Trinamool leader, adding the Chief Minister was personally interested in the issue. One of the possible ways the Government might take is to adopt the Tamil Nadu model of returning the land by creating a separate law in the State Assembly which would be applicable to the State.
But then, in this case the Tatas have already renewed their lease for this year and so they would have to be taken into confidence. In the past, Ratan Tata had reportedly told the Left Government he would expect it to make good the money invested in the botched project as a precondition for restoring the land.
Trinamool sources, however, said the party had no problem in the Tatas starting a factory on 600 acres of the land. A youth from Khasherbheri said, "We want jobs because we had taken three years' training after giving away the lands. We want industry here and are not concerned who does it, Mamata or Buddhadeb."
