We will never forget the martyrs of Nandigram, says Mamata
KOLKATA: Remembering the martyrs of Nandigram, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said she and her party would never forget those who had sacrificed their lives in Nandigram over a decade ago.
"We have not forgotten the martyrs of Nandigram and will never do it," Mamata Banerjee said on social media.
On November 10, 2007 the then state government along with local goons had carried out an action to bring Nandigram under its control.
Ten people died in police action and of them seven were yet to be traced.
The then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had termed the action as 'sunshine.' After the incident, the then Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi had visited Nandigram and said: "The incident has eclipsed the lights of Diwali."
Trinamool observes martyr's day in Nandigram every year. A meeting was held at Karpalli in Maheshpur on Wednesday. Taking a dig at Suvendu Adhikari, Trinamool Congress state general secretary, Kunal Ghosh asked: "How could he garland the martyrs' column as many people from the minority community had sacrificed their lives in Nandigram?"
Calling Adhikari a 'traitor', Ghosh said Adhikari had played the communal card in the Assembly election in 2021.
"He had called one particular minority community as 'jehadis' and now has come to garland the martyr's column," Ghosh said. "The entire Adhikari family had taken advantage of Mamata Banerjee's magnanimity. It was Mamata didi who had made Suvendu a politician," he added, urging people to drive the saffron leader out of Nandigram.
Referring to Firoza Bibi, Trinamool Congress MLA from Panskura West—who lost his son in police action— Ghosh said: "Mamata Banerjee always refers to her as the mother of a martyr. How Suvendu is going to call her— the mother of a jihadi, because his son was from the minority community?" he asked sarcastically.
Veteran TMC leader Tapas Roy criticised BJP for its divisive politics. "They do not carry any development and only talk about divisive politics. They let loose the Hindus against the Muslims. Again, they make divisions among the Bengalis and the Beharis, among the Hindus and the Sikhs. Bengal has always spoken about communal harmony and peace and no attempt to divide Bengal will ever be successful," he added. State government had tried to set up a petrochemical and chemical hub in Nandigram in 2007 and issued a notice to acquire the land. Local people put up a stiff resistance and refused to depart with the land.
The state government along with local goons backed by the CPI(M) tried to acquire the land forcibly. Mamata Banerjee stood firmly beside the farmers and led the movement. This was the beginning of the end for CPI(M).
CPI(M) lost two gram Panchayats—in East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas— in the 2008 Panchayats election and performed badly in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. The party lost the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election in 2010 and finally lost the Assembly poll in 2011.
