Singur Standoff

Hi All,

I have been feeling quite disturbed by the recent developments in West Bengal viz the protests against the Nano project.As most of u would have known by now Mamata Banerjee has been protesting, rather vociferously and in some instances violently, against the setting up of the Nano car project plant from the very start. After much struggle the plant did come up and production commenced although it is now in its nascent stages.

The problem now is about 400 acres of land that had been "forcibly" acquired by the government from the farmers for the location of ancillary units. The high court of the state had ruled that the land was acquired by proper means and in accordance with the law of the land.

Now what puzzles everyone is why

1.are the farmers who had sold the land and obtained the compensation provided by the government protesting now.

2. Mamata who was protesting against the entire project is now limiting herself to the return of only a section of the land.( is it a ploy to save face bcos now that the plant had come up and she could do nothing about it?)

Mamata is saying that she is fine with 600 acres of land in which the plant had come up but not with the rest of 400 acres of land in which the ancillary units are coming up/supposed to sprout..But we all know that that doesn't make any economic sense as placing the vending units away from the plant will only hike the costs of production.

Industry champions like the Naranya Murthy and the likes have come to the rescue of the Tatas and have called for restraint from Mamata. Even the usually reserved Governor of west bengal has written to Mamata on the agitation and has called for neutral mediators to resolve the issue.

With the agitation entering a rather tiring 8th day and support waning, Mamata now is trying to find herself new enemies. She has planned a rally against organised retailing giants like Reliance Retail(which belongs to the older Ambani brother). Digging deeper u would find that there is a little bit of politics in this. Mamata was joined by Amar Singh, a close associate of the younger Ambani brother, on the 1st day of her agitation and it looks like she feels this is her way of paying back
( u friends enemy is also ur enemy..make sense?)


At the end of all this its indian industry and the its image thats taking a battering. If Mamata and her cronies are really concerned abt India and its ppl she should call of the agitation and let work resume at the plant.