India News | TMC, BJP Fight over Legacy of Nandigram Movement
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Kolkata / The ruling TMC and the opposition BJP locked horns on Monday in their bid to appropriate the Nandigram movement's legacy.
Kolkata / Nandigram (WB), March 14 (PTI) The ruling TMC and the opposition BJP locked horns on Monday in their bid to appropriate the Nandigram movement's legacy.
Clashes were reported between the supporters of the two parties when they had gathered near a memorial in Gokulnagar area, built to pay tribute to the 14 people killed in police firing during an anti-land acquisition stir on this day in 2007.
BJP members were seen cleaning the memorial after activists of the ruling TMC paid their respects.
The TMC observes March 14 as 'Nandigram Divas' every year to commemorate the contributions of the fallen agitators.
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The party, after coming to power, has also marked the day as ‘Krishak Divas'.
The BJP, this year, led by Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, organised rallies in Nandigram.
"Fourteen people were martyred in police firing in 2007. I have been coming here every year since 2008 to pay tribute to the sacrifices made by the people of Nandigram. Ironically, police officers who have been given promotions (under TMC rule) are responsible for the Nandigram massacre. They, too, are observing Nandigram Divas now," Adhikari said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during the day, said Bengal is among the top agricultural producers in the country, and the income of farmers in the state has "trebled" under the TMC's rule.
"Every year, we observe March 14 as Krishak Dibas, in remembrance of those innocent but brave villagers of Nandigram who had been killed in police firing in 2007 and in dedication to the other farmers throughout the country and the world," Banerjee wrote on Twitter.
Senior TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh, who visited Nandigram in the morning, paid floral tributes to those killed in the movement and met their family members.
"We don't need lessons on Nandigram or its movement from traitors. The Nandigram movement would not have happened, had Mamata Banerjee not been there. Those trying to appropriate the legacy of Nandigram are insulting the people of this area," Ghosh said.
As the then opposition leader, Banerjee had spearheaded a movement against the Left Front government's acquisition of arable land in Nandigram and Singur for industrialisation.
Her party reaped rich dividends from the agitations, winning 50 per cent of the panchayat seats in 2008, bagging 19 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 and ending the 34-year-long Left Front rule in the state in 2011. Adhikari was her trusted lieutenant in Nandigram.
The Mamata Banerjee-led camp returned to power for the third successive term last year, notwithstanding a high-pitched campaign by the BJP.
Nandigram witnessed a high-pitched poll campaign in 2021 as Banerjee took on Adhikari at the cradle of the anti-land acquisition movement.
The TMC boss, however, lost the election to Adhikari in the high-profile seat. She was back as an MLA from her home constituency Bhabanipur with a record margin in a bypoll held in October.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)