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Sunday, Nov 11, 2007
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CRPF battalion for Nandigram

Marcus Dam & Vinay Kumar

Mamata sends resignation to PM, warns of State-wide stir

— PHOTO: SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH

more voices: Activist Medha Patkar explains a point to film-maker Aparna Sen during a hunger strike in Kolkata on Saturday in protest against the Nandigram violence. Eminent writer Mahasweta Devi is in the foreground.

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Even as fresh violence claimed two lives in Nandigram on Saturday after a day of relative calm, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee sought to raise the stakes by announcing her resignation from Parliament and calling for an indefinite State-wide stir to “paralyse West Bengal” from Monday.

Meanwhile, a thousand Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were heading for West Bengal. The Centre’s decision to send them followed a request from Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Ten people were injured in clashes between activists of the Trinamool Congress-backed Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh (Resistance against Land Eviction) Committee, or BUPC, and supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Nandigram during the day. This happened at a point when people who were staying away from their homes in the face of hostilities tentatively started returning to their villages from camps elsewhere.

Ms. Banerjee announced her resignation as MP in protest against the alleged “massacre” in Nandigram. She said the letter of resignation had been sent to the Prime Minister and a copy has been marked to the Lok Sabha Speaker. This is not in accordance with the prescribed procedure. According to expert sources, this indicates that she does not want her resignation accepted.

“If this situation continues I will have to consider whether or not to continue in politics,” Ms. Banerjee said and added that her party would launch an indefinite State-wide stir aiming to paralyse the State from Monday.

The Congress also announced a 24-hour strike in the State on Monday.

CPI(M) surprised at Governor’s statement

In New Delhi, the CPI(M) said the West Bengal Governor’s statement on Friday on Nandigram was “surprising.” The Polit Bureau, in a statement, said the Governor was well within his constitutional role to communicate his views to the State government and the Central government. “However, he has chosen once again to go public with a statement which is uncalled for. The content of the statement makes it clear that this is not the role expected from the office of Governor under the Constitution.”

It said that from January there has been violence “engineered in Nandigram and normal life disrupted.” For the past 10 months, thousands have been driven out of their homes and the State administration was prevented from functioning in the area. It said the Governor had been fully apprised of the abnormal situation.

On another front, activist Medha Patkar on Saturday began a two-day fast in Kolkata. Film personalities Aparna Sen, Rituparno Ghosh and writer Mahasweta Devi joined her, calling for a boycott of the Kolkata Film Festival and other programmes of the State government.

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