Triangular fight awaits Singur

  Kolkata, March 26:  People in Singur are spoilt for choice. The land of shattered industrial dream will be witness to a tough fight during...

 

Kolkata, March 26:  People in Singur are spoilt for choice. The land of shattered industrial dream will be witness to a tough fight during the 2021 Assembly polls between former TMC stalwart and BJP candidate Rabindranath Bhattacharya and TMC heavyweight leader and minister Becharam Manna., A third angle to the fight has been added with a young candidate Srijan Bhattacharya, the SFI State Secretary, fighting on a CPI-M ticket.

Becharam Manna, a minister and a son of the soil, a grassroots level worker has stayed loyal to Didi and was firmly by her side during the Singur movement against Tata Motors.  

The octogenarian Bhattacharya, a well-known figure in Singur and known as Mastermoshai in the area, has always been a strong force fighting against land acquisition and fighting from the front.

“When we were fighting against land acquisition of Tata Motors’ Nano factory, on the field, Rabindranath Bhattacharya never left us,” said Mahadeb Das, a Singur resident and long-time aide of Bhattacharya.

Mahadeb has worked with Bhattacharya for almost 15 years and was a close aide from the days of the Singur movement. Bhattacharya is loved and respected by the people as he is a good human being. He had dedicated himself to the people and fought for the people and thus has substantial hold in the region.

“We are really confused between the two candidates. Becharam Manna is also a product of Singur movement and son of the soil while Mastermoshai too has always stood by us,” a local voter said.

Becharam Manna, a local villager, started a movement against land acquisition and was like Bhattacharya a Mamata Banerjee disciple. Becharam, who is deep into politics, and a state minister, was a local who would sit for days on the stage during the Singur movement with Banerjee, arranging food for all the protestors.

Becharam Manna, whom Didi fondly refers to as ‘Becha’ has travelled a long way rom his rural activism to becoming a minister. He walks 18 to 20 kilometers for campaigning, into the villages, and uses all his all waking hours from 7.30am to 12.30am in campaigning.

Srijan, a first timer in the poll fray, and a fresh face from the CPI-M has bagged a ticket at just 27. He is very upbeat about his campaigns though he is sandwiched between two heavyweights.

While Becharam Manna and Rabindranath Bhattacharya are confident of winning, Srijan too is very positive in his outlook