The rally was held around 2 km from the Nano site, and the LF had managed a substantial crowd with people from five South Bengal districts brought in. With the crowd pouring out, a few thousand jostled to enter the grounds.

“You will get 50 per cent extra for your land,” Bose told the people, flanked by Forward Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh, who had earlier held a meeting at Singur against forcible land acquisition. “You can buy land nearby and start farming with the money. Or if you wish, you can start some project. Your family members will also get jobs.”

The widow of Susen Santra, who committed suicide reportedly after he heard that the Tatas were leaving Singur, was called on stage and given a cheque of Rs 25,000.

Bose explained that the Chief Minister had done all he could to convince the Opposition, but in vain. “The land which is being demanded back, which is kept for the ancillary units, cannot be given back. The Tatas will not be able to function if that happens. We should understand that Nano, the Rs 1 lakh car, is not only important for Bengal but the whole world. The car will be marketed to foreign countries priced at $2500. We should all try to join hands for the project, which will bring prestige to Singur,” he added.

Apart from the Forward Bloc’s Ghosh, the RSP’s Kshiti Goswami and the CPI’s Manjukumar Majumder also lauded the package today. “The Singur farmers are not our enemy... We fully support the Chief Minister who went to Raj Bhavan five times to solve the issue peacefully. We are still open to a peaceful dialogue. I appeal to Mamata Banerjee to resist from violence,” said Ghosh.