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Centre’s directive to West Bengal

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Wednesday said the Centre had issued directives to the West Bengal government to ensure that no one was forced to leave their homes in the Nandigram area and the climate of fear was removed at the earliest.

Responding to a demand from Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani during the discussion on Nandigram that the Centre issue directions to the West Bengal government under Article 355 of the Constitution, Mr. Patil said written directives had already been issued to the State government.

“In communications to the Governor and the Home Secretary, the Centre has said that no one should be rendered homeless. Also, the State government has been informed that it could withdraw forces from peaceful areas to deploy wherever needed.”

To repeated references to Maoist presence in the area during the five-and-a-half-hour-long discussion under Rule 193 on “The Proposal to set up Special Economic Zone in Nandigram, West Bengal, and consequent large scale violence,” Mr. Patil said: “There was evidence of the presence of outsiders who tried to instigate violence in the area. Also, sophisticated arms had been found and there is need to be on the guard.”

However, when asked by Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) whether the outsiders were Maoists/naxalites, the Minister refused to name any organisation. Neither did he specify the nature of arms found in the area, stating that such details were with the State government.

On the CPI(M) and CPI accusation that the Centre had dragged its feet vis-À-vis accepting West Bengal government’s request for Central Reserve Police Force, Mr. Patil said two battalions of the CRPF were already deployed in the State and additional forces were sent on demand.

The Left parties’ charge was that the Centre had first turned down the State government’s request for CRPF dated October 27 and agreed to send it only after repeated requests.

Initiating the discussion, Mr. Advani said if the Centre’s directives under Article 355 were ignored by the State, then it should be dismissed. His suggestion that an all-party delegation of Parliament be sent to Nandigram was met with opposition from CPI(M) members.

Referring to the “terror” and “fear” among the people there, he said: “This is what happens when you convert the party into a substitute of the government. ... Things go out of hand.”

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi called for an “objective introspection” of the issue though he blamed the NDA government for an SEZ policy that did not talk of rehabilitation and compensation to the displaced.

He said refugees must go back to their homes and pointed out that attempts by some quarters to disturb peace in the area had been resisted by the people.

Mr. Dasmunsi said staunch CPI(M) supporters, including artistes, writers and painters who had returned honours bestowed upon them by the State government, should speak about the prevailing situation in Nandigram instead of “politically-biased” people like him.

Admitting that mistakes had been committed by the State government, Mohammad Salim (CPI-M) detailed what transpired in Nandigram over the past 11 months and sought to know from members whether any State government could allow a “liberated” area to prevail within its jurisdiction.

Also, he wanted members to introspect on why the agitation had continued for so many months when the Chief Minister had said in February itself that no land would be acquired for the chemical hub.

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