KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is not giving up on her principal demand the return of the 400 acres within the Nano complex even after Ratan Tata said in no uncertain terms on Friday that the Tatas would exit the Nano project in West Bengal if the violence in Singur continued.

She also indicated she would not withdraw or defer her indefinite stir in Singur from August 24, notwithstanding Mr Tatas anxieties over the outbreak of violence near the Nano factory. We will not stop our agitation until the land is returned ,Ms Banerjee announced.

We dont want anybody to leave West Bengal. But we aren’t really bothered whether the Tatas quit Singur, she told reporters at a hastily convened press conference on Friday shortly after Mr Tata expressed his anguish about the goings-on in Singur.

Mamata also asserted that she wasn’t prepared to hold talks with the Tatas unless they agreed to return 400 acres. The Tatas should be happy with 600 acres at Singur where they can set up their mother plant and hand over the remaining 400 acres to local land losers who had refused to accept state compensation ,Ms Banerjee said, when asked if she was ready to hold talks with the Tatas.

She added: In their letter, the Tatas had not shown any interest in discussing the land return issue with our party. Why should we hold talks with the Tatas ? We are not their employees.

The Trinamool Congress chief also held the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government responsible for the escalation in violence in Singur. Who is creating violence in Singur? It is the state government which has deployed 30,000 policemen to terrorise Singurs villagers,, she alleged.

She also didnt mince words about West Bengal commerce and industry minister Nirupam Sens meeting with Mr Tata on Thursday night. It is known to all that many industrialists visit CPI-Ms Alimuddin Street headquarters. We are in the dark about what advice Mr Sen possibly gave Mr Tata during their meeting. And we also dont know why the minister met Mr Tata privately in hotel and not at Writers Buildings or even Alimuddin Street, retorted Ms Banerjee.

She also alleged that her party was being blackmailed, although she did not elaborate . Mr Tatas apprehensions come after his secret meeting with the industry minister . And we believe moves are afoot to blackmail the Trinamool Congress, she said. Mamata reiterated that the state government was doling out undue favours to the Tatas.

Why is the government so keen to favour the Tatas? There should be a uniform policy with regard to offering benefits to the industry houses. We have information that land has been acquired in different blocks for the Tatas. In Rajarhat too, 600 acres have been acquired for the Tatas, Ms Banerjee alleged.

Source : Economic Times