Mamata consoles a Nandigram resident on Thursday. Picture by Jahangir Badsa

Nandigram, Jan. 3: Eyes fixed on the panchayat polls, Mamata Banerjee today kept the Nandigram pot boiling.

The Trinamul Congress chief cautioned villagers against trusting the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government’s assurance that land would not be acquired in Nandigram for a chemical hub.

She urged the people to “keep up their vigil”, saying there could be an attempt to grab land once the panchayat polls were over.

Mamata addressed a rally at Bhutar More in Garchakraberia this afternoon to mark the anniversary of the beginning of the land war.

A mob in Garchakraberia had ransacked the Kalicharan gram panchayat office and torched a police jeep on January 3 last year to protest the Haldia Development Authority’s move to acquire land for a chemical hub.

“Don’t forget that this government is eyeing your land and they will take it away on one pretext or the other either for the Salims, Tatas or Birlas,” Mamata said, referring to the meeting the chief minister held yesterday to expedite the Salim Group projects.

Sisir Adhikary, the Trinamul MLA from Egra, echoed his leader.

“Don’t be fooled by the chief minister’s assurance that no land would be acquired in Nandigram. The government and the CPM are waiting for the panchayat polls. After that, they will not only grab land in Nandigram but also in Mahishadal and other areas of East Midnapore. We will not allow them to do so,” he said.

Buoyed by the Balagarh bypolls, in which the CPM has seen a sharp drop in its vote share, Mamata hurled a poser to the Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee members who were once Left supporters.

“Will you forgive the CPM and CPI and vote for them again?”

The crowd roared back a “No”.

“Balagarh has shown the path. Now it’s your turn to stay united and fight the CPM to the finish,” the Trinamul chief said.