Deucha Panchami Coal Mine: Mamata Banerjee on wrong side of anti-land acquisition agitation as BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari corners her

BJP delegation met with the tribals protesting state govt’s Deucha Panchami coal project – ANI

Over a decade ago West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had emerged as the doyen of the poor and marginalised while leading a fiercely-fought struggle against forcible acquisition of farm lands by the then Left government in Singur and Nandigram.

Now, Mamata Banerjee has her own Nandigram and Singur to reckon with: Deucha-Panchami coal mining project.

Farmers of Deucha-Panchami coal mine region in Birbhum district in West Bengal –- a lot of them tribal families — have been waging an anti-land acquisition movement for the past three months. The farmers have accused the TMC government of the same excesses as Banerjee had levelled against the Left government back in 2011.

This is after a compensation and rehabilitation package of over Rs 10,000 crore. “We are being forced to part with our land; we shall not move from here; it is our home,” is the refrain of the movement. The farmers do not want increased compensation; they want the complete withdrawal of the coal mining project at Deucha Pachami-Harinsingha-Dewanganj in Singhbhum.

The Opposition, mainly Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sensing a wide hole in Mamata Banerjee’s armour of a subaltern image, has jumped into the fray. Her nemesis Suvendu Adhikari has decided to make the most of this role reversal for Mamata Banerjee.

BJP leader and LoP in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, met with the protestors of Deucha Panchami coal mine project in Birbhum on Wednesday. “There are over 10,000 houses here with most of the inhabitants being tribal. Mamata government has sent eviction notices. We are against eviction,” Suvendu Adhikari said.

Tribal Sukal Nardi sums up Mamata Banerjee’s woes in his grievance against the West Bengal administration. “Protest against atrocities by the state government has been going on for three months. We’ll not leave our lands; will continue with the dharna. State government is not fulfilling our demands for land, jobs, houses. We can’t accept its proposal of sending us out and giving a house.”

“TMC trying to forcibly take lands from tribal, who are original inhabitants. CM Mamata had done ‘andolan’ during Singur and Nandigram against forced land acquisition. Today, she is retracting her statement. She has stopped the pensions of these villagers,” BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said.

Even Congress has lent its support to the agitating tribal. Congress MP from West Bengal Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had also visited Deucha-Panchami and met where.

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