Wednesday, September 14 2005 19:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Thousands of Trinamool Congress activists today braved sharp showers and participated in an anti-Government march in the busy thoroughfares throwing vehicular traffic in the central business district of the metropolis out of gear for over three hours.

The march was organised to protest the 'Marxist's design' to hand over agricultural land to the Indonesia-based Salim group by the Buddhadev Bhattacherjee government to set up industries.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee who led the march threw a challenge to the CPI (M) that "farmers willensure that CPI(M) does not return to power in next elections to the state assembly in 2006.

"The CPI (M) is dreaming that it will perpetuate its misrule till 2010 in West Bengal. The farmers have learnt with their experience that CPI (M) has become friend of landlords", she said.

"Now they are even trying to take away land from the poor farmers to hand it over the foreign industrialists", she told a rally of party workers at the busy Esplanade in central Kolkata after the march.

Even when the rain threatened to disrupt the meeting, she continued the march with policemen in jeeps following it up as the commuters and those who ventured out for forthcoming Durga puja shopping had a trying time due to the disruption.

Trinamool Congress virtually sought to hijack the CPI (M)'s slogan that 'land belonged to those who plough it' to launch its protest movement against what she said the Buddhadev Bhattac erjee Government's plans to hand over agricultural land to Salim group.

The Trinamool Congress workers shouted, "The land belongs to hand that draws the plough", originally CPI (M)'s slogan.

Several tableaux depicting 'plough, hammer and sickle' were on display during today's procession.

Hundreds of buses, mini buses, taxis and private cars remained stranded at Lenin Sarani, S N Banerjee road Esplanade and Chowringhee as the protestors started the march from the Subodh Mullick Sqaure at 1 pm.

Banerjee said that her party was not against industrialisation but was against state government's 'unilateral move' of conversion of agricultural land for real estate and other industries.

"We will not allow Salim group to set up industries on agricultural land displacing thousands of farmers", she said.

Banerjee said she was emboldened by the "huge response" from farmers to their movement to protest the state government's move to transfer agricultural land to foreign industrialists to set up industries.

CPI (M) has said that there were no differences in the party over acquisition of land for the Salim group setting up projects in West Bengal, saying no prime agricultural land would be given for setting up the industries.

Salim group plans to set up a special industrial economic zone, a health city and a two-wheeler manufacturing unit in the state.