Calcutta, Aug. 27: The Vedic Village episode has quietly begun to churn Bengal politics, exposing players in the CPM, the Trinamul Congress and the real estate business behind the questionable land acquisition in the area.

The arson at the resort and its aftermath, though, has had an unusual political fallout so far. Ever ready to catch the CPM and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the wrong foot, Mamata Banerjee has been inexplicably silent on the issue. Neither she nor her party has demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident or used it to attack the chief minister.

The chief minister, too, has been silent, but political circles point out that his position was stated by the home secretary, Ardhendu Sen, who blamed the land mafia for the eruption of violence at Vedic Village.

But the silence in the two rival political camps barely conceals the hectic attempts to pass the buck and cover up the tussles within.

Publicly, though, both sides have denied any association with the main accused, Gaffar Mollah. Credible reports are now emerging that he was definitely a Trinamul activist with close links to the party leadership. Trinamul sources said Mamata was upset about the exposure of Gaffar’s political loyalties.

Trinamul’s core committee, which met in Calcutta today, discussed the Vedic Village incident and asked party activists not to be associated with the illegal land deals in the area, said Mukul Roy, Union minister of state for shipping and a close Mamata aide.

Party leaders admitted that Gaffar was also close to Trinamul’s Bhangar MLA Arabul Islam and his brother, Khude Islam. A party leader suggested that Arabul could be served with a show-cause notice.

But the story of Gaffar’s politics does not end with Trinamul. Not long ago, he was said to have been close to the CPM, particularly to land and land reforms minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah, an MLA from neighbouring Canning.

Mollah, who has been very vocal recently in his criticism of the chief minister over the land-for-industry policy, has been curiously silent on the issue. But sources indicated that the incident had added a new dimension to the tussle between the two.

Sources close to the chief minister said he might be tempted to use the incident to stage a comeback, adding that the home secretary’s statements should be read in that context.

The resort attack has also brought another factor into play: the critics of the government’s Singur policy within and outside the government have been caught on the wrong foot –- a development that cannot displease the chief minister.

Bhattacharjee and his supporters in the party would like to use it to call Mollah’s bluff over the land issue and cut him to size.

Mollah is one of the aspirants for a slot in the party’s powerful state secretariat and some see him as a chief ministerial hopeful. His detractors could use the Vedic land controversy to scuttle his chances for upward mobility in the party.

Publicly, however, CPM sources close to Mollah denied any role for him in the land deals in Rajarhat. The party has only highlighted Gaffar’s links with Trinamul.

The housing minister and a state secretariat member, Gautam Deb, and the party MLA from Rajarhat, Rabin Mondal, denied any knowledge of Gaffar’s links with the party.

But Deb suggested that inquiries should be made into the “mysterious” land transfers taking place around Vedic Village. “What would they do with around 1,500 acres? Run a resort?”

All he would say was that the industries department and subsequently the IT department had asked for land to set up an IT hub and an industrial park.

But he had no idea as to how the vested land was given to the promoters or later how land was being purchased by promoters on behalf of the government.

“Ask Rezzak-da or Nirupam-da (the industries minister) about it,” Deb added. “If the issue comes up to BRDA (Bhangar-Rajarhat Development Authority), we won’t give them the NOC (no-objection certificate).”

Legal rights of patta land are known to be not very precise and are practically owned by whoever physically occupy them.

Deb’s attempts to skirt responsibility would surprise CPM activists and the common people in the area. Not only is he a powerful party leader from North 24-Parganas district, the BRDA is under his ministry.

The CPM’s uneasiness about the episode is largely because of the involvement of its leaders and workers with land promoters. Kamal Gandhi, associated with the promoters of Vedic Village, has long been close to several party leaders, especially those close to Jyoti Basu. But then, he and other promoters have their patrons in Trinamul as well.

CPM state secretary Biman Bose -- who on the face of it appeared perturbed but, like the chief minister, is unlikely to be unhappy with the turn of events -- today asked the government to deal with the wrongdoers “sternly”.

“The administration has to be stern in handling the situation there and inquire who took what role and also what they had done earlier. It is another matter if somebody purchased land by paying the price,” Bose said.

He, however, dodged a question on the demand of allies like the RSP and the CPI that the Vedic Village promoters be arrested after weapons were found from a labour hutment.

Bose, who had attended a North 24-Parganas meeting yesterday, said he has sought a report from the district leadership and would seek a similar one from the South 24-Parganas leadership also as the promoters’ alleged coercive land purchase drive covered both districts.

However, he parried a question on whether he would seek a report from land minister Mollah for leasing out vested land to the Vedic Village promoters in an out-of-court settlement or IT minister Debesh Das for entering into a deal with the same promoters to procure land for an IT park. “I can’t reply without knowing the details,” Bose said.

Another party state secretariat member, Shyamal Chakraborty, denied any shady land dealings between the Village promoters and the government. But he came down heavily on police. “What were the police doing before the violence erupted?”

Konar said the police should arrest the Village promoters. “The owners can’t escape their responsibilities for claiming ignorance of the illegal arms stockpile. If my son hides such weapon at my home without my knowledge, the police won’t spare me,” Konar said.

Konar tried to score a political point over Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.

“Such an ugly situation would not have been created if there was no direct purchase of land by private players which inevitably leads to the involvement of touts and toughs. But Mamata resisted government acquisition and advocated the direct purchase for narrow political benefit,” Konar said.