More than ten years after Tata Motors was forced to move its Nano car project out of West Bengal’s Singur, Mamata Banerjee’s anti-land acquisition movement ghost is coming back to bite into Mamata’s electoral plans in the region. Singur, one of the seven constituencies in the Hooghly Lok Sabha seat, where the Nano plant was located, proved to be a turning point in Banerjee’s political career in 2011 when it helped end the 34-year rule of the Left Front in the state. However farmers are now regretting their support for Mamata’s political movement in 2008.
“Initially we were happy to have got back the land, but later we realised it was of no use to us anymore. What happens with just Rs 2,000 a month and 16 kilograms of rice? Is it enough to run a family of five persons?” asked a farmer from Singur. Following a long legal battle with the Tata’s, the Mamata Banerjee government in 2016 had returned the land to the farmers with much fanfare. As compensation for the farmers Mamata Banerjee government gives them a monthly dole of Rs 2,000 and 16 kilograms of rice at Rs 2 per kilogram.
“We did not get jobs as the Tatas left. Now, we have land, but cannot cultivate. How much more can we go on living like this — with a small dole from the government?” asked Sanjiv Samanta, a farmer. “It is true that we got our lands back but more than 500 acres are not fertile. There will be no farming and we are jobless now,” said Hari Mondal, one of the villagers at Kaserberia, Singur.
BJP coming into the picture has fielded Bengal Mahila Morcha President, Locket Chaterjee to take on TMC’s two-term MP Ratna De Nag. The CPI (M) has fielded Pradip Saha and Pratul Chandra Saha is contesting on behalf of the Congress.
Locket Chaterjee taking aim at The TMC said the TMC used the farmers to gain political mileage.”If we come to power and the BJP wins from this seat, we would try to bring some industries for employment generation. The TMC used these farmers to capture power and has just thrown them away,” she said.
Mahadeb Das, a local TMC leader coming in support of Mamata Banerjee said “At least 300 acres of land are now crop-land; while more than 400 acres belonging to around 3000 people are still infertile. We have around 11 bighas of land, but it is barren. The land is full of concrete waste and sand. The government has been trying hard, but it is yet to be converted into a crop land.”.
A defeat from Hooghly will surely translate to a huge embarrassment for Mamata Banerjee, who is already been struggling with law and order situation in the state. TMC has also been trying to consolidate its voter base by blatant minority appeasement. The last Panchayat elections in West Bengal saw newfound support for the BJP, which has created a momentum, that is sure to be carried forward in the 2019 General elections and hurt TMC’s electoral plans coupled with further disillusionment of voters from Mamata’s promises, BJP is poised to benefit from these developments.