Click to play videoSingur: With farmers in Singur, West Bengal, now accepting the government’s compensation for their land acquired for the Tata Motors project, which they had previously refused, the tale has acquired a new twist.
The primary reason the farmers cite for undergoing such change of heart is that of their pathetic state of livelihood. But worried about a setback to their agenda, the Trinamool Congress is now providing these farmers with hefty financial support.
For instance, 43-year-old Ashima Koley is among those who refused government compensation for land acquired for the Tata Motors project in Singur four years ago. But now, after having exhausted all her savings, Ashima has no choice but to consider the option of accepting money offered to her by the government.
"According to me it's time that we should give the land away. The land is no longer cultivable. Those who have external sources of income can still sustain. But people like us cannot survive any more," rues Ashima.
With farmers like Ashima having second thoughts over their decision, has caused enough worry in the Trinamool-led Krishi Zameen Raksha Committee, which spearheaded the Singur anti-land grab movement. It has now started providing financial support to these farmers.
Mahadeb Das of Krishi Zameen Raksha Committee said, "we are extending financial support. Somebody needs money for daughter's wedding while someone else requires help to perform the last rites of a dead family member. We are donating in all such cases."
Kanchan Koley is one among those who received a large sum from the Krishi Zameen Raksha to get her daughter married off.
"Yes, the committee contributed money and somehow we could manage raising funds for the wedding,” said Kanchan Koley.
In spite of providing the farmers with financial support, the Committee still finds it a tough job to keep the farmers’ morale high. Mamata Banerjee's promise of returning 400 acres to these unwilling peasants in Singur after she comes to power is the only flicker of hope that keeps them going.
Reports suggest the Committee has also given loans to farmers in exchange of transfer or mortgage of the Right to Compensation of their acquired land. The loan is between 50 to 80 per cent of the money the state owes them. The Trinamool leadership is believed to be the source of the funds. The party, however, has denied this.
Partha Chatterjee of the Trinamool Congress feels that the move undertaken by the Krishi Zameen Raksha Committee is essential to help the farmers sustain themselves. "Why are we doing this? So that they do not feel (left) out of the system. They should not feel that we have utilised them for our political gains.”
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee knows that with each passing day the resolve of the unwilling peasants is getting weaker. And till such time she's able to act upon her promise to return the so-called forcefully acquired land, the only way to stop the Singur movement from losing momentum is to do exactly what the Bengal government had intended - compensate monetarily for the lost land.
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