Mamata Banerjee addressing the rally in Bhangar. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Bhangar, Feb. 12: Mamata Banerjee today demanded a statewide “referendum” to ascertain whether people were “really willing’’ to give away their land and home for the sake of the state’s industrialisation.

“Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is making tall claims about the people of Bengal voluntarily offering land for industry. I demand that the government seek the people’s mandate in the form of a referendum on whether they are ready to offer their land, homes and ponds for Bengal’s industrialisation,’’ the Trinamul Congress chief told a gathering here in South 24-Parganas, 25 km from Calcutta.

A few hundred acres are set to be acquired in Bhangar for the Barasat-Raichak expressway. Thousands of acres are slated to be taken over elsewhere in the district as well for a string of industry and infrastructure projects.

The government, Mamata said, should distribute leaflets among people “wherever the chief minister wants to set up industry” and seek their opinion on whether they are willing to sell their property. “Rather than claiming that the people of Singur gave their land willingly, let them be asked to comment.’’

The government has said that only about 30 acres out of the 997-odd acquired for the Tata Motors project did not have the owners’ consent. Mamata has alleged that over 450 acres have been “forcibly acquired”.

She asked the people of Bhangar not to part with their land under any circumstances. “I’m not talking about an eye-for-an-eye agitation but you always have the right of self-defence,” she added.

Referring to Mamata’s demand for a referendum, CPM state secretariat member Benoy Konar said: “She perhaps doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Such a thing has never happened anywhere in the country for acquisition of land for industry.”