Once again reiterate my support for the ongoing farmers' protest: Mamata

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday once again extended her support to the ongoing farmers' agitation against the "draconian" farm laws after remembering Tapasi Malik who was raped and burnt to death during farmers' agitation in Singur.

Banerjee, who demanded withdrawal of the farm laws, tweeted: "Remembering Tapasi Malik on her death anniversary. The young protestor from Singur was raped and burnt to death during the farmers' agitation in 2006."

"On this occasion, I once again iterate my support for the ongoing farmers' protest #StandWithFarmers", she further stated in the tweet extending her support to farmers have decided to continue with their agitation at Delhi-Haryana border till the farm laws are withdrawn. Banerjee, in whose governance farmers' income has tripled in Bengal, had headed the fight for farmers' rights when their land was forcefully acquired to set up Tata's small car factory at Singur in Hooghly. Recently, in the context of the ongoing farmers' agitation, she had also recollected about her 26-days hunger strike protesting against the then Left Front government's move of acquisition of agricultural land to set up the factory. After a fight spanning over 10 years, it was on August 31 in 2016, when the division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice Arun Mishra declared acquisition of 997 acre land at Singur "unjustified".

In the last week, the farmers' wing of Trinamool Congress also held a three-day-long sit-in-demonstration at Gandhi Statue on Mayo Road protesting against the farm bills. Banerjee attended the protest rally on the culmination day and raised her voice against the Centre as the farm laws "have taken away all right of farmers and handed over the agr-market to monopolists". She directed her party

workers to hold agitation against the same at every blocks in the state.

Malik's charred body was found at the site of Tata's car factory on December 18 in 2006. It gave a momentum to the movement against the land acquisition. Including

Malik, 14 people had laid their lives protesting against

the Left Front government's "oppression on farmers" to facilitate setting up of the factory on the multi-crop land in Singur.

The Mamata Banerjee government set up a statue at Singur as a mark of respect to the martyrs and Singur Divas is also being observed. After coming to power, the Trinamool Congress government started providing different benefits to the people of

Singur including free-of-cost ration. Farmers were provided with all sort of supports after they got back their land in 2016 to once again turn the 997 acres of land suitable for cultivation.