Mamata budges after Governor’s intervention

Posted on September 1, 2008. Filed under: Politics | Tags: All party meeting, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Chief Minister, Gandhi, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Government of West Bengal, Governor, Governor of West Bengal, KJRC, Left Front, Mamata Banerjee, Partha Chatterjee, People of Singur, People's Car, Ratan Tata, Shutdown at Singur Plant, Singur, Singur Agitation, Singur Deadlock, Singur Tata Nano Plant, State Government, Tata, Tata Nano, Tata Nano Singur Plant, TMC, Trinamool Chief, Trinamool Congress, West Bengal, World's Cheapest Car |

At the intervention of West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday i.e. 31 Aug 2008, budged from her inflexible stand and agreed to come to the talks table. Following Governor’s letter to Mamata, a Krishi Jami Raksha Committee (KJRC) team met the Governor on Sunday. Shortly afterwards, Mamata announced in Singur she was ready for talks. But Trinamool Chief stuck to her stand that land must be returned to unwilling farmers, but hinted that that the figure of 400 acres was not NON-Negotiable. Mamata also promised that the panchayats in Singur, which is under Trinamool, would help find alternative land for the ancillary units opposite the Tata Motors factory site. When KJRC delegation led by opposition leader Partha Chatterjee met the Governor, he suggested that talks start with the help of a “neutral intermediary” and that farmers who had lost land could also participate in the talks.

The Governor’s intervention has given the Trinamool leader the opportunity she had been looking for to come to an honorable settlement. A relieved state government gave indications the talks could start forthwith. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said at public meeting in Netaji Indoor Stadium that he was ready to hold talks with the opposition. At a meeting of Left Front it was decided an all party meeting would be convened on Tuesday.