Calcutta, May 29: Mamata Banerjee today said Nirupam Sen was “lying” by saying that the Salim group’s projects would not proceed without consensus on land acquisition.

“I don’t believe what the industries minister said in Delhi about the Salim group’s projects. It’s just a ploy to placate the electorate before the Lok Sabha polls,” the Trinamul Congress chief said. “He is lying to woo back the voters who have rejected the CPM in the rural polls.”

PWD minister and RSP secretariat member Kshiti Goswami said Sen’s words reflected “the CPM’s belated realisation of its inappropriate land acquisition policy”.

Water resources minister and CPI leader Nandagopal Bhattacharya said: “We had warned the CPM against going ahead with the Salim group’s projects by grabbing farmland. Now, rejected by the people, the party has realised that everybody has to be taken into confidence.”