Thaindian News

Kolkata, March 12 (IANS) With her government facing flak on farmer’s suicides, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday slammed a law framed by the previous Left Front government under which a farmer would lose his land if he failed to pay his debts.

“In 2006 the West Bengal government had formed a law - West Bengal Cooperatives Societies Act, 2005 - which stated that if a farmer fails to repay loans taken from cooperative banks then the property and the land of the farmers will be encroached. This is brutal and shameful law,” Banerjee said.

Banerjee said a poster put up in Tamluk area of East Midnapore district, stated that property of farmers’ will be confiscated if they fail to repay loans.

“I want to clarify clearly that we are not going to encroach upon any land or property of farmers. We condemn such draconian law. We will rectify and amend this law we will neither confiscate nor auction farmers’ property,” she said.

Banerjee Monday also denied comment on the issue of mid-term polls in the country.

“My press conference is strictly related to kissan issues and Nandigram,” said Banerjee when asked to comment on the speculation of mid-term polls in the country.

Banerjee has decided against attending the swearing in ceremonies of the new state governments in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and instead deputed party delegations.

Banerjee was invited by Shiromani Akali Dal leader Badal to attend his oath-taking ceremony, while Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav extended an invitation to her to attend the swearing-in of his son as Uttar Pradesh chief minister March 15.

The twin invitations to Banerjee had triggered lot of debate as to whether the development could be a precursor to the formation of a non-Congress, non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) grouping of chief ministers heading regional parties.