CPM rules out apology for land acquisition in Singur

Refusing to accept the Supreme Court verdict that the land acquisition in Singur was “illegal”, CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra on Wednesday contested that the land was acquired as per the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. However, Mr Mishra said in the same breath that his party did not oppose the return of the land to the farmers.

“Back then, the land was acquired by following the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. Almost 90 per cent farmers had willingly given their land to the government. Only 10 per cent did not give their land and did not accept compensation. But the land was not acquired forcefully,” Mr Mishra said after the Supreme Court verdict.

“When the Trinamul Congress government came to power in 2011, we had said that now you have got the people’s mandate and if you want to return the land to the farmers then we have no problem. But it should be returned by following the constitutional norms and laws,” he said.

Responding to queries on whether the CPI(M) had opposed the return of land to farmers after Tata Motors moved out of Singur, he said, “We never opposed returning the land to them. But today’s verdict has made the issue more complex. Now the question will be how the land will be returned and in what condition. What will happen to those who had taken the compensation and returned the land ” Mr Mishra wondered.

When asked whether his party would offer an apology to the farmers and admit that the process of acquiring land in Singur was wrong, Mr Mishra said, “This is not an issue of offering our apology. We have said it clearly earlier that the land cannot be acquired against the wishes of the farmer. We have to see whether there will be a review petition or an appeal against the verdict.”

According to him, the verdict went in favour of the farmers as there was no factory operating on the land and the court had to say that the land acquisition was illegal in order to return the land to the farmers.