Accompanied by a large cavalcade of the police and party men followed by VIPs in motorcade, the CPM leaders visited Nandigram today and addressed a largely-attended meeting organised by the district party committee.

At the meeting, both leaders called upon the party men and the opponents to come forward and help the administration in rebuilding Nandigram by maintaining peace.

The Chief Minister’s convoy reached the Tekhali bridge shortly after 11 am and around 11.30 am both Chief Minister and Biman Bose were seen on the large dais erected on the vast paddy where the harvesting had just been completed. Red flags and CPM banners could be seen everywhere in the streets, atop wayside buildings and trees, government offices and party offices.

The paddy field, where the meeting was organised, was also decorated with party flags, festoons and banners and the large cutouts of Jyoti Basu, Biman Bose and the Chief Minister. Some banners were carrying the Chief Minister’s words against the forcible acquiring of lands at Nandigram for the chemical project, while others focused on the government’s present policy of industrialisation and agriculture. As the leaders came out of their vehicles and climbed on the large rostrum, a huge crowd assembled there cheered them and raised slogans to welcome them.

This is for the first time that two high-profile CPM leaders were visiting Nandigram after its “recapture” from the clutches of the Trinamool Congress-backed Bhoomi Raksha Committee. There was no resistance from the Nandigram people who had been fighting for protecting their lands against their forcible acquisition. Nor they accorded any heartening welcome to these leaders.

CPM leaders did not visit Nandigram after the March 14 incident, but

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Congress leaders Somen Mitra, Pradip Bhattacharyya, union information minister Priya Dasmunshi, BJP leader L.K. Advani and leaders of various other political parties visited Nandigram and were welcomed by the Nandigram people.

Buddhadeb today reiterated no lands would be acquired at Nandigram and the proposed chemical hub would be build at the nearby Nayaxhar and not at Nandigram. He announced several packages for rebuilding Nandigram and rehabilitating the affected people.

He appealed to all, irrespective of their political differences, to maintain peace and help the administration in restoring normalcy in the disturbed Nandigram.