Mamata 'prefers death to forcible land acquisition'

Sticking to her stand of not acquiring land forcibly, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said said she would prefer death than agree to it. "I am against acquisition of land forcibly. We will not acquire land by pointing guns at farmers. I will prefer death than acquire land forcibly from farmers," Banerjee said here in North Dinajpur district on the second day of her tour of five districts.
"I went on a 26-day fast and was about to die, but did not compromise," she said referring to her 26-day hunger-strike in December 2006 to demand return of 400 acre to farmers who unwillingly parted with their land for the Tata Motors small car project at Singur. The immediate provocation of Banerjee's comment appeared to be targetted at Congress MP Deepa Dasmunshi who had earlier criticised her government for non-cooperation in acquiring land for an AIIMS-like hospital at Raiganj in North Dinajpur. Without naming Dasmunshi who is MP from Raiganj, Banerjee said "I see that some here are engaged in politicking over the hospital at Raiganj. "I am telling those who are criticizing me that we will not acquire land forcibly. 100 acre of land will be required. Let them those are politicking arrange the land. I have no objection," she said. The chief minister also announced the setting up of two multi-specialty hospitals at Raiganj and Islampur.