Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today told the Assembly that her government was committed to return land to the unwilling farmers of Singur whose land was "forcibly" acquired by the erstwhile Left Front government. The chief minister said the government was only awaiting the High Court verdict on the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act. "We can't say ~ 'Lala (former justice of Calcutta High Court Mr Amitava Lala), tui pala' ~ as you once did," she said in reply to Leader of the Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra's remarks that the Trinamul Congress-led government was yet to return the Singur land despite its election pledge. Dr Mishra also claimed that only 40 farmers had wanted their land back. The chief minister (sns photo), however, refuted the claim saying it was based on wrong information. Miss Banerjee also iterated that her government would not accord SEZ status to the Infosys project, though it was ready to offer it similar facilities. Taunting Dr Mishra, she said: "Unlike you (the Marxists) we can't smoke bidis at public meetings and expensive cigarettes in private. We fought so hard for the farmers and how can we be expected to allow SEZs to be set up." Miss Banerjee reaffirmed her government's resolve not to allow strikes "for its own sake". She also urged the Left Front not to resort to such weapons of protest. Stating that the people of West Bengal were tired of bandhs and blockades during the Left Front regime that cost the state's work culture and economy, the chief minister said her party too had resorted to it in the past which was a mistake. The chief minister hit back at the Left Front for its criticism that the Governor's address for the Budget session was silent on recent spate of crimes, including rape and murder, that had taken place in the city. Brandishing copies of the Governor's speech during the Left regime, she said there had never been any mention of shocking incidents such as the killings of 17 Ananda Margis on Bijon Setu in 1982, Marichjhanpi incident, Bantala rape case, Nandigram firing and Tapasi Malik's rape and murder in Singur. Questioning the state government's "success" in the Darjeeling Hills tangle, Dr Mishra sarcastically said: "That was why four Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha MLAs boycotted the chief minister's reply to the debate on the Governor's address." Miss Banerjee said there was no need for the Left to indulge in "politicking". "The GJMM leadership may have been somewhat hurt, but I am meeting them on 24 March and all the issues would be sorted out,” she said. Miss Banerjee said her government had inherited a bankrupt economy from the Left Front and criticised the Leader of the Opposition for backing the government employees who were absent on February 28, the day of the countrywide general strike called by several Central trade unions. She said that the Opposition should be ashamed that they left behind a bankrupt economy for the new government which was burdened with a Rs 2.03-lakh crore liability.