We're committed to return Singur land to unwilling farmers: Mamata

Kolkata: In wake of the Calcutta High Court holding as unconstitutional the Singur Land Development Act, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said her government was with the farmers and committed to return of land to them. “Unwilling farmers in Singur will get back their land. The state government is committed to it,” Banerjee told reporters in the assembly premises after the high court held the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011 as unconstitutional and void. The state government had vested the land leased to the Tata Motors for its Nano small car project at Singur. “We are with them and we will continue to be with them. They will emerge victorious at the end,” Banerjee said. [caption id=“attachment_353865” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“What will the Bengal govt do now?”]  [/caption] Banerjee, however, refused to make any comment on the high court verdict. Leader of the Opposition Surya Kanta Mishra, belonging to the CPI(M) said the high court verdict had vindicated the party’s stand. “We have been saying that the bill was unconstitutional and we had offered to give several suggestions to the government on how to go about it,” he told reporters. Commerce and Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters that the West Bengal government would decide its next course of action only after getting a copy of the verdict. “We have not received the copy of the court verdict. The state government will take action only after getting it,” he said. “We are committed towards the interest of farmers and share croppers. We are always with them and will remain with them. The unwilling farmers should not worry,” Chatterjee added. The High Court has held as unconstitutional and void the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011, under which the state had vested land leased to Tata Motors. Chatterjee also assured the people, farmers and land labourers in Singur that they were with them and would continue to stand beside them. “We were with them, we are with them and we will be with them. We are committed to protect their interest,” he said, recalling that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had observed a 26-day fast in Singur to protect the interests of farmers. He said the state government was committed to return the land of unwilling farmers and protect interests of land labourers. Agencies