Singur: Fact and Fiction

Mritiunjoy Mohanty (March 3) has taken Sumanta Banerjee to task for his alleged misrepresentation of the dynamics of change in Singur. But, his own representation seems to be flawed on a number of counts.

In an article based on a field report (EPW, November 18, 2006), Parthasarathi Banerjee noted that the affected villages of Singur, namely, Gopalnagar, Bajemelia, Beraberi, Khaserbheri and Sinherbheri are inhabited mostly by marginal and small farmers, who constitute more than 50 per cent of the population. There is also a sizeable section (25-30 per cent) of bargadars and landless people who belong to the scheduled caste category. Banerjee also made an in-depth survey of 100 families from Bajemelia, Beraberi and Khaserbheri wherein more than 90 per cent of the respondents said that agriculture is the main source of their livelihood. Mohanty, on the other hand, claims that only 33 per cent of the labour force in five revenue units worked in agriculture.