Just days after Mamata Banerjee began her second term as chief minister of West Bengal, she ordered the acquisition of land for a proposed highway in the vicinity of Nandigram, the epicentre of a political struggle in the late 2000s.
The situation came to a head on November 14, 2007, as 14 people were killed and many others were injured in police firing in the village. Political observers say the massacre and the events that followed paved the way for the Left Front's fall in the state and Banerjee's ascent to the chief minister's post in 2011.
Keeping in mind the sensitivity associated with the issue of acquiring land, Banerjee did not allow forcible land acquisition during her first stint as CM. Her change of stance now, in favour of development, is being cheered by bureaucrats and business houses in the state.
The situation came to a head on November 14, 2007, as 14 people were killed and many others were injured in police firing in the village. Political observers say the massacre and the events that followed paved the way for the Left Front's fall in the state and Banerjee's ascent to the chief minister's post in 2011.
Keeping in mind the sensitivity associated with the issue of acquiring land, Banerjee did not allow forcible land acquisition during her first stint as CM. Her change of stance now, in favour of development, is being cheered by bureaucrats and business houses in the state.