Mamata Banerjee at the rally. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

Calcutta, July 21: Mamata Banerjee today ruled out talks with Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee till the “people of Nandigram got justice” and the land acquired without consent was returned in Singur, reports our special correspondent.

Addressing a rally at Esplanade in memory of 13 Youth Congress activists who died in police firing in 1993, Mamata blamed “a section of the media being fed by CPM leaders” for suggesting that she would have no problem talking to the chief minister.

“I’d like to say in front of thousands of people here that this will never happen till the land in Singur is given back and justice done to the people of Nandigram. All of you keep this in mind — the Bengal chief minister has blood on his hands and his clothes are blood-stained. He has no credibility,’’ Mamata said.

The Trinamul Congress chief accused the chief minister of going back on his assurance of discussions by clamping Section 144 of the CrPC in Singur during land acquisition for the Tata Motors project. “The chief minister had requested me to call off my fast and assured me he would discuss Singur. On the very night I ended my fast, he re-imposed the prohibitory orders.’’

That her anti-land acquisition campaign was targeted at next year’s rural polls became apparent when she exhorted the audience to “put up a tough fight against the CPM in the panchayat elections” and announced “Operation CPM’’.

The rally, at Esplanade, paralysed traffic for hours.

Mamata blamed “the CPM’s terror” for not being able to field candidates in 23,000 panchayat seats last time. “You’ll have to take the responsibility of ensuring a fight in every seat,” she said.

Protest outside Basu house

Youth Congress activists demonstrated in front of Jyoti Basu’s Salt Lake house to protest against “atrocities on Congress supporters” during his regime. Basu was the chief minister when the 13 were killed.