Nano under siege in Singur

25 August 2008

The indefinite agitation  at the site of the Tata Nano plant in Singur, West Bengal, by Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress entered its second day today.

The Trinamool Congress has been leading the agitation against West Bengal's leftist government on behalf of farmers whose land has been forcibly acquired by the state government to house the ancillary units that will cater to the Nano.

Banerjee, who says nearly 200,000 activists would converge in the coming days, has assured the state administration of a peaceful demonstration by her party.

Not taking any chances the state government deployed 3,000 policemen with water cannons on standby to protect the Tata factory and its wokers if required.

Adding muscle to the protest was the presence of Samajwadi Party's heavyweight leader Amar Singh, who arrived in Singur to address the farmers along with leaders of Trinamool's allies like the Socialist Unity Centre of India and the Somen Mitra-led Pragatisil Indira Congress and social activist Medha Patkar, who has been leading ther Narmada Bachao agitation for over a decade.

Booker Prize winning writer Arundhati Roy is also slated visiting Singur in support of the agitation.