Buddha gifts land to buy peace in Nandigram

Kolkata, March 4: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who had earned the wrath of the people of Nandigram for his alleged attempt to "grab" land, tried to win their hearts by distributing it among them.

"Trust me. I have not come here to lie. Under no circumstances, will we acquire land here. I have come to give and not take land," he said. Ahead of the panchayat elections, this move is apparently aimed at placating the angry villagers and sending a positive message to the people of rural Bengal.

Taking pains to allay the fears of the villagers, Mr Bhattacharjee said that the Opposition is spreading rumours that the state would embark on land acquisition after the panchayat elections.

"Our government has never indulged in falsehood. We assure you that there is no plan to acquire land in Nandigram now or after the polls," Mr Bhattacharjee said.

Chanting the mantra of peace, Mr Bhattacharjee called upon all the parties, including the Trinamul Congress-led Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) and the CPI(M) to desist from creating further trouble in Nandigram and join hands for peace and development. Admitting that his government had made a mistake by trying to set up a chemical hub in Nandigram, Mr Bhattacharjee said, "The lesson we have learnt from the Nandigram incident is that there cannot be any industry over people’s tears. It was unfortunate that we could not make people understand that it would have benefited them if industry was set up in Nandigram."

This was his second visit to the strife-torn Nandigram in two months. Mr Bhattacharjee warned the locals of the serious threats the Maoists posed.

"The Maoists only know the language of murder and mayhem. They have been driven out of Nandigram, but they are regrouping and taking training in Jharkhand. They may return and it is your duty to stop them from re-entering," he said.

Mr Bhattacharjee handed over pattas of land to a few landless farmers. He said 2,200 people would benefit from the distribution of land.

"We are distributing 224 acres of land among 1,483 landless peasants. The total beneficiaries would be 2,200. Among the recipients are 418 people from the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe community. The total number of Muslims among the 1,483 people are 189," he said.