Kolkata: WBPCC chief Manas Bhuina on Friday sought to dispel notions that he supported Housing Minister Goutam Deb in the controversial Rajarhat land acquisition
issue and alleged that his name was being maligned by some Trinamool Congress leaders.
Reiterating his demand for a high-level inquiry into the land acquisition at Rajarhat, on the northern outskirts of the metropolis, Bhunia referred to the report of the Assembly
Committee on Government Assurances that he had earlier headed and which had been quoted by Deb.
"In my Assurance Committee report, I said that it would be good if Deb explained the manner of land acquisition at Rajarhat to the chief minister," he clarified at a press
conference here.
Deb had quoted a report of the committee then headed by Bhuina, to say that it had lauded the manner in which the land was acquired in Rajarhat.
On November 17, Bhuina had told newsmen he had observed in his report that although there was violent resistance against land acquisition at Singur and Nandigram,
land had been acquired peacefully at Rajarhat.
Bhuina had also said that compensation to land-losers at Rajarhat was low and the Haryana model should henceforth be adopted for land acquisition.
A number of newspapers and news channels interpreted his remarks as a sign of his support to Deb.
Accusing a section of leaders of Trinamool Congress of trying to malign his name and that of the Congress, Bhunia said their statements would be detrimental to the alliance
between the two parties.
"At a time when the Congress is becoming more visible, when more young people are joining the party, some people are upset and are maligning the party and me out of jealousy," he said.
Stating that he was for continuing the alliance with the Trinamool Congress, he said, however, "such slanders will not be good for the alliance."
Without naming anyone, Bhuina said a top Trinamool Congress leader, at the instance of party chief Mamata Banerjee, had maligned his name at his home constituency
Sabang.
"Another Trinamool Congress leader, who joined the party only the other day, called me an agent of the CPI(M) and said the Congress was the CPI(M)`s B-team," he said.
Describing the CPI(M) as a `common enemy` of both the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, he said, "let the slandering match end. Let them prepare to fight the common
enemy."
PTI
