Upholding farmers' rights remains a top priority: CM

Kolkata: Recollecting her fight and struggle to pass the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill 2011 on this day to check acquisition of agricultural land, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday once again gave a call to the entire nation to unite to fight against the Centre's indifference towards farmers when they are demanding withdrawal of contentious farm Laws.

In a tweet, Banerjee stated: "On this day, ten years back, the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill 2011 was passed in the WB assembly after a long & difficult struggle. We unitedly fought for the rights of our farmers & addressed their grievances, bringing in positive change in their lives."

"Today, it pains me that across the nation our farmer brethren are suffering owing to the indifference of the Centre. Together, we shall continue our fight to ensure the well-being of the very backbone of our society. Upholding their rights remains a top priority," she further stated in the tweet.

Rakesh Tikait had also called on the Chief Minister at Nabanna the last week and sought her support in the movement. It needs mention that 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 on 997 acres multi-crop land at Singur in Hooghly.

Expressing her solidarity to farmers, Banerjee held 26-days hunger strike protesting against the then Left Front government's move of acquisition of agricultural land to set up the factory.

In a joint press conference with the then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on May 18 in 2006, Ratan Tata had announced that a small car project would come up at Singur on 700 acres of land and the ancillary units would come up on another 300 acres of land. Land acquisition was started by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) amidst resistance by local farmers.

Subsequently, Banerjee initiated a movement supporting the farmers. She had received support of intellectuals including Amlan Dutta and Santosh Bhattacharya when she had initiated movement standing besides the farmers. The Tatas finally withdrew themselves from the project on October 3 in 2008 after the movement for over a year.

It was on June 14 in 2011, after the change of guard in the state, the Bengal Assembly passed the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill 2011. It received the Governor's nod on July 20 in 2011.

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" on August 31 in 2016 after a legal battle of over 10 years. Visiting Singur, Banerjee returned the land to the unwilling farmers and her government had taken all steps and the land was once again turned to cultivable condition. The Singur movement also got a place in the history syllabus of school students.