Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s demand for farmers’ right to get back their acquired land has found support from an unexpected quarter — her arch rival in West Bengal, the CPI(M)!
Banerjee’s party has decided to support the contentious Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill — currently in the UPA’s cold storage — only if some key changes are incorporated in the Bill like legal right for farmers to get back their land and total transparency in private buying of land.
According to a prominent CPI(M) politburo member, “there is no harm if land is given back to farmers. If it is acquired from the farmers to set up a specific industry and that doesn’t take off within the stipulated time, then the farmer should get back his land.”
The UPA government’s proposed land Bill has a provision to allow the state to take back land from the private investor if the project doesn’t take off within three years from the day of allotment of land.
CPI(M) politburo leader and one of the prominent faces on the land issue, S R Pillai told Business Standard on Thursday: “If the government comes out with such a proposal, then our party will consider it. But let the government first decide what it wants to do.”
The party also has no problem if the UPA comes out with added provisions to make land deals between farmers and private investors more transparent.
The CPI(M), however, categorically states that this stand has nothing to do with the land row in Singur. All along her agitation against the Nano plant, Banerjee insisted 300 acres of land should be given back to the farmers and industry can come up in the rest 700 acres.
Pillai, however, clarified: “The state government can’t give back land in Singur because currently, there is no legal provision to return the land to farmers. If the government comes out with a new law, then, of course, things will be different.”
But the CPI(M) is adamant that the government should have a major role in facilitating land deals, including 100 per cent power to acquire land for industrial projects.
Banerjee, on the other hand, wants to see least power for the state in matters of acquisition. In Trinamool’s internal meeting, it has decided to oppose any fixed quota for the government for acquisition.
“Only in case of major discrepancy, can the government come forward and help the private party to buy the land,” Minister of State for Rural Development and Trinamool Congress MP Sisir Adhikari said. The proposed Bill says the government can buy 30 per cent of the land, provided the private investor has already bought 70 per cent of land needed for the project.
Burning its fingers on the land issue in West Bengal, the CPI(M) is eager to see more sops for the farmers on land issue. It is also keen to see the twin land bills—the Rehabilitation and Resettlement policy Bill and the Land acquisition amendment bill is passed in the Parliament soon. The states, however, will retain power to formulate their own laws as land is a subject of the state list.
