After Singur, Farmers In Rajarhat Want Mamata Banerjee To Return Lands

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee kept her promise at Singur. On September 14, a month and a half after a Supreme Court order, her government started returning land, acquired forcibly by the previous regime for Tata's car factory, to farmers.

But that has brought farmers across Bengal on the streets. The latest, at Rajarhat Newtown -  a satellite township on the outskirts of the city. Around 7,500 acres of farm land had been acquired from about 25,000 farmers for a township there 15 to 20 years ago by the previous Left Front government. Now farmers there want their land back.

To press their point, farmers marched at Rajarhat-Newtown today, facing off with the police at two spots: the local police station and Hidco or Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation. Nizamuddin, an activist leading the Rajarhat Jomi Bachao Andolan or Save Rajarhat Land Movement, was arrested.
 "There can't be one law in Singur and another in Rajarhat-Newtown. Our land was also acquired forcibly and it must be returned to us," said Md Badruddin whose family owns six bighas of land.

Sheikh Bobby, a local Congress leader who joined the movement, said, "You can't have 'surma' in one eye and 'kajal' in another. Land here must be returned. Didi had promised to return land here too."

But there is a sub-plot in the unfolding drama. Those who lost their land were encouraged by succeeding governments to form syndicates to supply construction material in the area that saw a building boom. But syndicates turned extortionist and, recently, Mamata Banerjee ordered a crackdown.

"The Left Front government took away our land but allowed us to run syndicates and do construction business. But Mamata Banerjee has stopped it and we are at a loss," says 27-year-old Chittaranjan Mondal.

Adhir Mondal, a neighbour, is about 55 but has the same lament. "We are now all unemployed. The syndicates are gone."