A judicial development preventing the withdrawal of two murder cases against 63 persons in connection with the anti-land acquisition movement at Nandigram seems to have brought leaders of the Trinamul Congress, BJP and the Congress closer.

The Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (BUPC), the umbrella body of the movement with representation from the major non-Left political forces, went into a huddle on Tuesday, before 30-odd of the 63 accused went into hiding.

The development, deemed significant just a few weeks ahead of the Assembly polls in East Midnapore, followed a series of events prompted by a public interest litigation by the BJP’s Nandakumar candidate Nilanjan Adhikari. He had challenged before Calcutta High Court the Mamata Banerjee government’s decision to withdraw cases lodged during the movement, specifically referring to two murder cases — case numbers 237 and 697 — where the 63 persons, including leaders of Trinamul, Congress and even the BJP, stood accused.

The high court had on March 5 ruled that the two murder cases, which were allowed to be withdrawn by a lower court in Haldia, were not to be withdrawn. Following the high court ruling, the BJP’s Nandakumar candidate prayed before a court at Haldia for action, and it told the police to reopen the cases and take necessary action.

The BJP’s Ananda Mandal, a leader from Sonachura and part of the BUPC, said Adhikari had “betrayed” the movement and the people of Nandigram.

“I never thought a leader of my own party would put us in trouble and even shame the movement like this,” said Mandal, one of the 63 accused, who attended the closed-door meeting of the BUPC, which resolved to launch an all-out movement against the decision.

“I will demand an explanation from the BJP state leadership. This is utterly shameful. It shames Nandigram and the historic movement,” he added. “I have no doubt that it would impact the BJP negatively in the elections here.”

In the BUPC meeting, the body concluded that it was a conspiracy by the BJP —a theory endorsed by even the BJP members of the BUPC, such as Mandal — and it will need a full-fledged movement.

The 63 accused include at least a dozen elected representatives of Trinamul, including Mamata’s proposers (for the Nandigram candidature) Abdus Samad and Swadesh Das, and her chief election agent Sheikh Sufiyan.

Congress leader Milan Pradhan, who is among the 63, was one of the 30-odd who went into hiding.

“We had to go into hiding ahead of every election since 2011, as the administration under the Election Commission of India could have acted against us. This time, we had thought we would be able to campaign for our Sanyukt Morcha freely. But thanks to the BJP, we have to stay in hiding this time as well,” said Pradhan, a member of the BUPC.

Mamata’s chief election agent Sufiyan, an influential Nandigram leader, said the BJP’s Nandakumar candidate was doing this on behalf of Nandigram heavyweight — Trinamul turncoat, now in the BJP — Suvendu Adhikari, to “exact revenge” against those from Trinamul and other parties who did not join the BJP with him.

Mamata’s proposer Das had another theory. He pointed out that the three main demands of the BUPC were the return of the land, the withdrawal of the “false” cases, and the punishment of those “truly” responsible.

“Didi (Mamata) came to power and the land was returned. Then, the cases were also gradually withdrawn. The CBI was to punish the truly guilty. In the hands of the BJP-led Centre, the CBI did nothing…. To divert attention from that abject failure, Suvendu got Nilanjan to do this,” said Das.

The BJP’s Nandakumar candidate, however, begged to differ. “It had nothing to do with politics or elections. The cases were being withdrawn selectively, to benefit none other than Trinamul leaders. I moved court. I got justice,” he said.

The matter is likely to be turned into yet another poll plank by Mamata, who is the Nandigram candidate.

The chief minister, expected to be in Nandigram on Friday and Saturday for eight political programmes, demanded answers from Union home minister Amit Shah on the matter.

Speaking at a rally in Mejia on Tuesday, Mamata said: “Those who were in the pro-farmer movement are being sent warrants now. Nandigram already, Singur next? Everybody eventually.”
“What does Amit Shah think, that he will forcefully shut everything down, silence all voices of dissent?” she asked.