The planned Tata Motors factory in Singur received another jolt on Sunday when violence erupted between the police and villagers. The Hooghly district administration reimposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 on Monday barely hours before Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was scheduled to visit the area. It is interesting to note that West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadav Bhattacharya will be holding a convention at Singur on February 15.

"Prohibitory orders have been reimposed at Singur this (Monday) morning," IGP (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told PTI. Claiming that the situation at Singur was 'normal and peaceful', Kanojia said the measure was taken for administrative convenience.

Activists and intellectuals lending support to the peasants' uprising are, crying foul at these 'unjust measures'. Writer Mahashweta Devi is wielding her pen mercilessly to question the state government's move. She is not mincing her words in criticising the 'systematic violation of democracy' coupled with the 'complete lack of transparency regarding the terms of the state government's deal with the Tatas.'

• Tata car: Why farmers are on a warpath
• 'Why should Singur's farmers subsidise Tata?'

"The local people of Singur -- have been dubbed 'outsiders'," Mahashweta Devi lashes out. "The nomenclature is indeed quite interesting -- for the Left Front government, Ratan Tata is an insider, while Medha Patkar is an outsider!"

The CPI-M top brass obviously did not like her 'interference' and even went to the extent of stating 'who is Mahashweta.' Quite an insult for someone who has dedicated her life fighting for democracy and justice.

The undaunted octogenarian, however, continues to write a column in one of local dailies, unleashing her wrath, picking on her way a group of people willing to express solidarity with the suffering population of Singur.
 
According to Kabir Suman, musician, journalist and convenor of advisory committee of the Singur Krishijomi Raksha Committee, the uprising is justified because the state government, especially the chief minister, 'has been lying on every count regarding the nature of the purchased land.'

"Correct information is not being provided about the nature of the crops that had grown there or about  the terms on which the state government made a deal with the Tata industries," he states.

"According to the status report published by the government, Rs 36 crore (Rs 360 million) of the deal value still remains uncollected. Whenever the media or any other fact-finding agency of questions the government on this, the chief minister wastes no time in stating it is a 'trade secret'."

The question is: Isn't the chief minister violating Right To Information Act? Since when have states started having trade secrets?

The government is not being truthful about the quality of the land that has been bought over, informs Mahashweta Devi. "For, the government itself had two deep tubewells installed in Singur. Besides, about 27 shallow tubewells are still in operation, proving thereby that Singur has to be a multi-crop area."

Taking a cue from the writer, Suman puts in, "One wonders for what purpose Tata would need 997 acres of land. Going by the nature of the planned factory, Tata would need 400 acres of land at the most."

"What would happen to the rest of the land? It's anybody's guess. Read: the land would be resold or leased out to real estate agents -- it's a 'trade secret' that the chief minister refuses to reveal," he signs off.

• Maruti dares Ratan Tata: Singur row