Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that a section of corporate houses, who also run media businesses, was criticising her government on different issues as they wanted her to lift the urban land ceiling.
"Yes they are up in arms (against the government). Some corporate houses who also run media houses wanted that I lift the (Urban) land ceiling. I will not do so to serve their business interests," she said in reply to a question during an interview with Bengali TV channels.
"Where is land available in Kolkata? Land available has been sold out. There is also a sentiment involved. People feel protected, there is a sense of security. I have a right to live in the city. Let the law remain, why change it unnecessarily?" she asked.
"We can decide on a case to case basis as we cleared the land for the Jindals. I cannot allow the relaxation of land celing to allow someone to construct swimming pools or serve individuals when there are people who do not have roofs on their heads."
Under the land ceiling law, holdings in urban areas cannot cross 7.5 cottahs. Holdings in the rest of Bengal will have to be below 17.5 cottahs (irrigated) and 24.5 cottahs (non-irrigated).
She said there was conspiracy (against her government) since the Amri fire incident and added law would take its own course.
She alleged, "Some donors of CPI(M) started saying after the death of graphic artist Rizwanur Rehman that it was a fight between the Marwaris vs Muslims. After the arrests in the Amri case, they started to create a lobby and put pressure that it was Marwari vs Bengali (episode).
"If a Bengali commits murder, can I say he should be let off? A murderer is a murderer. A heinous politics is being perpetrated by someone to serve their own interests. And this conspiracy has started since the Amri incident.
"If anybody is a murderer, he remains a murderer. He cannot be allowed to go scot free. The law would take its own course." she said.
The police arrested seven of the 14 AMRI directors after the fire.
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