A day after the Left Front government scrapped its joint venture IT township project at Rajarhat, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday demanded that land forcibly acquired be returned to farmers. She announced a Nandigram-Singur type agitation in Rajarhat, and held a rally close to the Vedic Village site.

However, with persistent allegations of TMC men also being involved in landgrab in Rajarhat-Bhangar areas, Banerjee on Tuesday expelled three of her party leaders —former TMC MLA from Rajarhat Tamnoy Mandal, Shankarnarayan Dutta, former leader of opposition in Rajarhat and Sukhen Chakraborty, TMC councillor of Rajarhat. She alleged that the state government was conspiring to malign her leaders by doctoring statements through Gaffar Mollah.

TMC sources said the leaders were involved in the land scam. However, TMC MLA Arabul Islam was spared any action.