Centre to be responsible for my death : Mamata

Kolkata, Dec 7 (UNI) Reiterating her demand for the UPA Government's intervention in West Bengal on the Singur issue, Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee today warned that both Centre and the state Government would be reponsible for any eventuality.

''Both Centre and the state Government will be responsible if I die. The Centre must intervene into the violation of Constitution by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government, which has clamped prohibitory orders in and around Singur,'' she said while speaking from the venue of her indefinite hunger strike, which entered the fourth day today.

Alleging that the UPA Government was not taking a pro-active role ''out of sympathy'' for the CPI(M), she said the Centre had a ''moral compulsion'' to save the Bengal farmers and look into the violation of human rights in the name of industry.

Leading 'Singur Krishi Jami Raksha Committee', a platform of 19 political parties and organisations, Ms Banerjee had been on the indefinite hunger strike in protest against the acquisition of farm land at Singur for the Tata Motros' small car factory and the ''police atrocities on protesting farmers''.

She refused to withdraw her hunger strike and once again spurned the offer for talks with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the Singur issue, saying the Government must stop acquiring land before any dialogue.

''Not only shall I continue the hunger strike, but we will go for a wider movement. Let Mr Bhattacharjee stop acquiring the farmers' land and extend an official invitation to me first,'' she said.

Yesterday, the Chief Minister made an offer for talks on the compensation and rehabilitation of farmers, whose land had been acquired. He, however, asserted that the project would be executed.

Flaying Mr Bhattacharjee for ''coercing, terrorising and torturing'' the Singur farmers with the help of police, she said Mr Bhattacharjee had no moral right to continue in the office.

Yesterday, the Trinamool leader and social activist Medha Patkar shared dais and spoke against the land acquisition. Supporting Ms Banerjee's movement, Ms Patkar gave a slogan of ''larenge aur jitenge'' to build a popular movement on the Singur issue.

Today the activists of 'Singur Krishi Jami Raksha Committee' had a 'march to Singur' programme. But police barred the way of a few hundred processionists preventing them from entering the area.

Ms Banerjee alleged that police had blocked several points to deny the processionists' entry into Singur.

UNI KDG SJC MSJ HS1934