The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today said it had duly warned the Mamata Banerjee-led State Government about the follies and shortcomings of the Singur Act.
Party leaders reiterated that the whole fiasco over Tata Nano factory has impacted the industrial prospect of the State and the lives of the farmers in Singur.
The leader of Opposition and CPI-M leader, Mr Surjya Kanta Mishra, said: “We were not opposing the move for the sake of opposition. The Government was in favour of returning land. And, we only suggested that they do not categorise between willing and unwilling farmers.”
The strongest criticism came from the former industry minister and CPI (M) politburo member, Mr Nirupam Sen. “We warned the Government that the law could be challenged in court. Now the Court has passed its judgement against the law.”
Stating that he does not foresee a quick solution to the legal tangle, Mr Sen said the agitation that drove Tatas out of Singur and the following actions had only harmed the State’s prospects to attract investment.
Former city mayor and a lawyer for the willing farmers, Mr Bikash Bhattacharyya, said, “return of land to some (unwilling) farmers cannot be a public purpose.” Mr Bhattacharyya appeared on behalf of the ‘willing farmers’ in the case against Singur Act.