A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate a coal project in Birbhum, the BJP has warned the PM against accepting the same. A BJP MP and senior leader of the party’s intellectual cell has written to Modi requesting him not to inaugurate the biggest coal mine project of the country. Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta reasoned that the project was yet to begun as land acquisition was not completed by the state government.
“The media reports indicate that during her meeting with you on September 18, the chief minister of West Bengal invited you to formally inaugurate the above mentioned (Deocha coal block in Birbhum) coal block in Birbhum district allotted to the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd. While India’s energy security is of paramount importance and the coal reserves in Birbhum district are understood to be very high, I would request you to consider (my reservations),” Dasgupta wrote to Modi.
Dasgupta's appeal came on Thursday, a day after Banerjee met Modi at his residence in Delhi.
He said the plans of the project were at an early stage. He also cited that there were no studies about its likely social and environmental impact. “The process of securing environmental clearance has not even begun,” said Dasgupta.
The BJP leader pointed out that the area where the coal blocks are located are inhabited by adivasis and the community was, in the past, aggressive against giving land for the coal mine project. Dasgupta also alleged that the rehabilitation policy of the displaced adivasis was yet to begun.
A senior BJP leader in West Bengal supported Dasgutpa and said CM Banerjee wanted to fire from the shoulder of the PM. He added that Modi must be made aware of the “sinister design” of West Bengal chief minister. “She cannot acquire land for any project as she herself threw Tata out of Singur. Now, she would like to bring the prime minister and would like to tell the adivasis and tribal people that she was acquiring land for the Central government,” said the leader, also a BJP vice president.
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Dasgupta has also raised the issue of political violence in Birbhum where BJP workers were allegedly killed in police firing and high handedness. In the aftermath of tremendous atrocities on BJP workers by the Trinamool Congress, Modi should stay away from coming to Bengal and sharing dais with Banerjee, he said. “Given these factors, I feel that your presence at a formal inauguration of the project after the Durga Puja festival may send all the wrong signals. I believe that the involvement of the prime minister in such an event may indicate that all the necessary formalities have been completed and that coal mining is likely to be operational within a short time. This, in turn, is likely to subvert the process of environment clearance and the rehabilitation package.”
A cabinet minister in the Banerjee government responded that the chief minister herself would react to Dasgupta's comments after her return from Delhi on Friday. “But this is what the BJP stands for. They are out to stop all developmental activities in the state and would like to halt the project even,” said the minister.
