March 12: Mamata Banerjee today announced that she would be in Nandigram on March 14 to mark the fifth anniversary of the deaths of 14 people in police firing, putting to rest speculation if she would be in Bengal or attend the swearing-in ceremony of Punjab chief minister-designate Parkash Singh Badal on that day.

“I will go to Nandigram on March 14 to address a rally and pay my respects to those killed in the police firing,” the chief minister told reporters at Writers’ this afternoon.

She also announced that the government would from now on observe March 14 as Krishak Divas every year. “Peasants are our pride. That is why our government of ma-mati-manush will observe March 14 as Krishak Divas alongside Nandigram Divas. I will launch Krishak Divas at a small programme in Nandigram on March 14.”

Trinamul sources said that late last night, Mamata had called up East Midnapore Trinamul president and central junior minister for rural development Sisir Adhikari, Tamluk MP Subhendu Adhikari and some members of the party-backed Bhoomi Ucchhed Pratirodh Committee to finalise her visit to Nandigram.

That the chief minister was initially undecided on visiting Nandigram on March 14 had become evident when Trinamul leader and central minister Mukul Roy told a news conference earlier yesterday that Mamata had “engagements in Calcutta” on that day and that “industries minister Partha Chatterjee would address the martyrs’ day rally”.

Roy had said Mamata would not attend the swearing-in ceremonies of Badal in Chandigarh and Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow the next day because of her preoccupations in Calcutta and the governor’s address on the first day of the budget session of the Assembly on March 15.

Trinamul sources said Mamata “changed her mind” after party workers in Nandigram appealed to her to visit the place and wanted to know why she would not come even though she had cancelled her trip to Chandigarh.

“The people of Nandigram wanted Mamata to be there on March 14 as this is the first anniversary of the massacre after she became chief minister. I told Mamata that her presence in Nandigram would send a positive message about her across Bengal,” Sisir Adhikari said this afternoon.

Abu Safian, a functionary of the Trinamul-run East Midnapore zilla parishad, said he received a call from the chief minister at 11 last night. “Mamatadi told me that she would come to Nandigram on March 14,” Safian said.

A Trinamul general secretary said: “Had Mamata not attended the martyrs’ day event even after scrapping her Chandigarh plans, people could have started doubting her concern for Nandigram. She has taken a judicious decision.”

Mamata, who had told Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed and the media on Saturday that she was yet to decide whether she would attend BJP ally Badal’s swearing-in, had last visited Nandigram on April 28 last year to campaign for the Assembly polls.

Nandigram Trinamul MLA Firoza Bibi, whose son Imdadul was killed in the 2007 police firing, said today that she was happy to learn about Mamata’s decision. “We were upset when we came to know that she might not come here. But we are happy now.”

Police today inspected the venue of the programme, the Nandigram College grounds, where a makeshift stage is being constructed. “We are making a fool-proof security arrangement,” said district police chief Asoke Prasad.

Mamata has directed Trinamul leaders in Nandigram not to use loudspeakers at the programme as the Higher Secondary exams will begin on March 14.