TMC, BJP Spar Over 2007 Nandigram Violence On 16th Anniversary Of Anti-Land Acquisition Movement

Suvendu Adhikari said that the Nandigram movement was not affiliated with any political party, but was led by locals, whereas the TMC said that it would not have happened without Mamata Banerjee.

Suvendu Adhikari (right) said that the Nandigram movement was not affiliated with any political party, but was led by locals, whereas the TMC said that it would not have happened without Mamata Banerjee.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday seemed to be vying for the legacy of the anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram, which marked its 16th anniversary. The BJP organized rallies in the Nandigram area of Purba Medinipur district to honour the day, which saw 14 anti-land acquisition protesters killed in police firing in 2007, reported news agency PTI. The TMC, on the other hand, observes March 14 as 'Nandigram Diwas' since it came to power in West Bengal in 2011 to pay respect to those who died in the police firing during the anti-land acquisition protest.

Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition, led the BJP's commemoration activities. During the event, he stated that the Nandigram movement was not affiliated with any political party, but rather was led by locals. According to PTI, he also referred to the TMC in an oblique manner and criticized the Mamata Banerjee government for promoting IPS officers responsible for the incident. Adhikari, who was previously a TMC member and the Nandigram lawmaker, defected to the BJP before the 2021 assembly polls. He has been visiting Nandigram every year since 2008 to pay tribute to the people who died in the protest.

In response, TMC leader and minister Chandrima Bhattacharya visited Nandigram on Tuesday, paid floral tributes to the martyrs, and met their families. She hit back at Adhikari, stating that they did not need lessons on Nandigram or the movement from traitors. She added that the Nandigram movement would not have happened had Mamata Banerjee not been present. Therefore, those who are trying to appropriate the legacy of Nandigram are insulting the people's movement, she added. Bhattacharya also claimed that Adhikari's family was the "biggest beneficiary" of the movement led by Banerjee, the TMC supremo.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted that March 14 marks a black day in Bengal's history and is a grim reminder of the barbaric attacks on the state's farmers. She claimed that West Bengal is among the top agricultural producers in the country and empowered the country's farmers. Banerjee further added that 16 years later, Bengal has emerged as a leading agricultural state that empowers its farmers and enables them to lead dignified lives. 'Nandigram Diwas' is a bold testament to their indomitable fighting spirit and unrelenting zeal to secure every resident of the state.

Banerjee was the Opposition leader at the time of the Nandigram movement and led the opposition against the erstwhile Left Front government's acquisition of arable land in Nandigram and Singur for industrialization. Adhikari was her trusted lieutenant in Nandigram, and the TMC reaped rich dividends from the agitations by winning 50% 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. The TMC returned to power for the third successive term in 2021 despite a high-pitched campaign by the BJP. However, Banerjee lost to Adhikari in Nandigram but later won from her home seat of Bhabanipur with a record margin in a by-poll held later that year.