Mamata in Singur on Sunday. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

Singur, Nov. 5: Mamata Banerjee today gave the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government 12 days to abandon the drive to acquire farm land for industry or face a movement modelled on the Dandi March.

She has also threatened to lay siege to the chief minister’s house, Parliament and the Assembly.

“From now on, I am giving 12 days’ time to the state government to abandon its policy to acquire farm land for industry in Bengal. If this is not adhered to, we shall launch a non-cooperation movement from November 17 by organising a procession from Calcutta to Singur on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March,” Mamata told a public rally at Gopalnagar, about 50 km from Calcutta.

Mamata warned that the non-cooperation movement would not be restricted to Singur. “Instead, we shall non-cooperate with officials all over the state until the government desists from acquiring agriculture land for industry,” she added.

She announced that the party would “gherao” the chief minister’s Palm Avenue residence, Parliament and the Assembly.

Mamata today managed to get a former CPM member of Parliment and Citu leader from Asansol, Haradhan Roy, by her side. Roy has been expelled from the CPM.

Several Congress workers from the districts also joined the rally.

The Congress’s state working president, Pradip Bhattacharya, said a decision on joining Mamata’s movement would be taken after consulting the high command. But former mayor Subrata Mukherjee, now in the Congress, said he would join the programme from the first day.

Mamata called upon the Tatas to shift the proposed small car project from Singur to fallow land in the state.