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Continuing his damage-control exercise after the Nandigram incident, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday night. In a one-to-one interaction Bhattacharya urged the Centre to come out with a comprehensive new policy on special economic zones (SEZs) as quickly as possible.

Bhattacharya, who is attending the CPI (M)'s central committee meeting in New Delhi, also met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, along with politburo member Sitaram Yechury, late on Saturday night.

At both meetings, sources close to the leaders revealed, the chief minister explained the sequence of events that led to police firing in Nandigram on March 14. He said the entire process of industrialisation in West Bengal had been stalled following the incident. It could resume only after a rehabilitation package for the displaced was in place, he added.

He is also believed to have complained about the role of the Congress in Nandigram, pointing to recent remarks against the CPI (M) by a Union minister from West Bengal.

Sonia Gandhi is said to have cautioned Bhattacharya and Yechury against such incidents being repeated. As chairperson of the UPA, she said, she would have to react strongly if this happened again.

Email author: spatranobis@hindustantimes.com