It is against such a measure that the Bengal CM’s remarks of regret over Nandigram in Delhi need to be assessed. The Bengal chief minister unequivocally recognised Nandigram as a “political and administrative failure”. He also expressed remorse for his “paying them back in the same coin” statement. He now says he wants “peace... peace for all sections”. At last, it appears, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is speaking the language of a chief minister, not that of a party cadre. But he must also know that if “peace for all sections” is to come about, it will require more than words. He must now ensure that justice is done even if it means holding the CPM’s own cadres to account. He must also personally step in to see that those who now find themselves without homes or access to their land because they happen to be on the ‘wrong’ side of the state’s political divide, are provided the necessary security to rebuild their lives.

There can be no denying the shadow which the Nandigram events and their aftermath have cast on the state and its industrialisation project. Already major players have begun indicating impatience with the marked deceleration of governmental enthusiasm for expediting pending projects crucial for the state’s growth and employment generation potential. Such procrastination, Bengal cannot afford. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee needs to close the Nandigram chapter and move on. And here that familiar Frenchman on a horse may have some words he can heed: “Strategy is the art of making use of time and space... Space we can recover, lost time never.”