Mamata Rushes To Former CM’s Home After Call, Talks Fruitful

Jyoti Basu rang up Mamata Banerjee in a surprise move on Monday, inviting her home to thrash out a solution to the Nandigram-Singur standoff. She was at Basu’s residence within half an hour of the call, the same Mamata who had repeatedly turned down chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s offer for talks.

 When Basu spoke to reporters about the meeting, it was hard to believe it was he who had called in police in the early 1990s to throw Mamata out of Writers’ Buildings when she had squatted in front of his chamber. “I’m thankful to Mamata for readily agreeing to come, within half an hour,” Basu said.

There were clear indications that the talks had borne fruit. “After talking to Mamata, it seems to me there is a solution,” the former CM said at a joint news conference with the Trinamul leader after the hour-long meeting, which ended at 7.50 pm.
Basu went a step further and promised Mamata he would discuss her demands with the government.    In return, Basu extracted the promise that she would respond to future peace meetings called by him or Left Front partners like Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh.   Housing minister Gautam Deb was also present at the meet.

Mamata was visibly upbeat to have been able to put across her viewpoint to Basu. “If Jyoti Basu listens sympathetically to the plight of the farmers of Singur, I will think my 25-day hunger strike has been fruitful. I am not unreasonable, but I want the people of Singur and Nandigram to get justice,” she said.

For CPM, too, the meeting was a political gain — now there is a visible chance of peace, without which industrialisation will be impeded.  The Basu-Mamata meeting, however, went further than the May 24 all-party talks because Singur too was discussed.  While Basu gave a careful hearing to Mamata’s point of view on Singur, the Trinamul leader did not insist on a “genocide” tag for the March 14 police firing.

Basu said he had heard Mamata out on both Singur and Nandigram and liked her attitude. “She is not against industrialisation. She told me that about 300 farmers (in Singur) have not collected cheques for the land acquired and that more than 600 acres are not necessary to set up the factory. If we have to return their plots, we will have to talk to the government. We will also have to talk to the Tatas to reorganise. But, we must ensure the Tatas don’t go away.” Mamata is correct, says Basu

After meeting Mamata Banerjee, Jyoti Basu said he was aware that more than 2,000 CPM supporters in Nandigram and some Trinamul supporters in Khejuri had fled from their villages. On his 94th birthday, coming up in July, he wanted to see all of them back home.

“Mamata is correct, if bombs are hurled and pistols are used, then that is wrong.”  Basu said more discussions would be held in the presence of LF chairman Biman Bose, Ashok Ghosh and Gautam Deb, who would represent the government. “I am not well, but whenever necessary, I will also try to attend.” Mamata promised she would respond if Basu called her for talks.

The Trinamul leader said peace was not returning to Nandigram as an 18-km stretch along Talpatti canal had become a virtual noman’s land, with bombs being hurled and firing taking place. Fifteen families in the area were still missing. She said the CBI investigation should continue and demanded punishment for 10 people arrested from a brick kiln, against whom the investigating agency could not file a chargesheet.

On Singur, Mamata said alternative land was available across the road and it was possible to relocate a part of the Tata Motors factory there