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Opposition: why is Governor’s speech silent on Nandigram?

Special Correspondent

“It was he who made public his displeasure over police firing”

— Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

ANGRY: Trinamool Congress MLAs protest at the start of the budget session of the West Bengal Assembly on Thursday.

Kolkata: Opposition leaders were critical of the absence of any mention of last year’s violence in Nandigram in Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s address to the West Bengal Assembly on Thursday.

Alleging that the speech, which marked the beginning of the budget session, was prepared to suit the interests of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee of the Trinamool Congress wondered why the Governor, who had made public his displeasure over the police firing and subsequent violence in Nandigram on March 14, was silent on the issue in his address.

In the wake of the March 14 police firing and “the recapture of Nandigram by the CPI(M) activists on November 9,” the Governor reacted sharply to the developments there “but he did not utter a word on Nandigram in his address,” Congress legislature party leader Manas Bhunia said.

The Governor did, however, mention that the government had “identified 44 sqkm of land at Nayachar Island for setting up a Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrol-chemical Investment Region.”

The project was initially planned in Nandigram but the government decided against the move in the wake of opposition by a section of the locals.

In the Governor’s address, there was also a reference to Tata Motor’s Singur project, to which the Trinamool is opposed alleging that land for the car unit had been forcibly acquired by the government.

“In the automobile sector, a major breakthrough is expected to be achieved shortly with the rolling out of small cars from the Singur automobile project,” the Governor said.

Industrialisation

On the subject of industries, he said it was “considered necessary to consolidate our success in agriculture and move towards rapid industrialisation for the overall growth of the economy of the State and to create job opportunities.”

Mr Gandhi pointed out that the government had “taken all steps to counter the extremist movement” in the districts “where the Maoists have attempted to extend their areas of influence.”

On the problem in the Darjeeling hills, he said, “There have been some agitations against the dominance of the GNLF (Gorkha National Liberation Front) in the hill areas but the situation is being handled carefully.”

Placard protest

Earlier, as the Governor commenced his address some Trinamool MLAs held placards which alleged that the government failed to tackle the scam in the ration system and to check price rise.

There was also delay in checking the spread of bird flu, the placards said.

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