No mention of land grab in CM speech

  • 28/04/2008

  • Statesman (Kolkata)

EGRA (Midnapore East): Chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today steered clear of the controversial issue of land acquisition for industrialisation at an panchayat election rally here today, thereby offering no opening to local MP Mr Lakshman Seth to raise the matter after he followed the chief minister to the dais. That Mr Bhattacharjee never referred to land acquisition in his 40-minute speech suggests that he is currently not too enthusiastic about Mr Seth's no-holds-barred advocacy of land acquisition for industrialisation ahead of the panchayat polls. He also chose not to refer to the roles of his party and that of the Opposition during the "black days" of Nandigram. But the chief minister asked the Opposition to refrain from inciting violence during the forthcoming rural polls. He also warned his party members and supporters not to get provoked by the Opposition. Coming down heavily on the Trinamul Congress, Mr Bhattacharjee said: "I don't know what its party's (the Trinamul) leadership wants. Whenever we (the government) go for any development work, such as setting up power stations and constructing roads, this party puts up an opposition. They (the Trinamul) always say