Buddha's olive branch to Mamata

Kolkata, Dec 08 (UNI) In a bid to end the stand-off with the opposition, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee today offered an olive branch to fasting Mamata Banerjee by officially inviting her for talks.

The chief minister invited the Trinamool Congress leader for talks over the Singur issue and urged her to withdraw the indefinite hunger strike against acquisition of farm land for Tata Motors small car factory.

In a letter to Ms Banerjee he said the state government was prepared for talks with her on the Singur issue.

''Either you or one of your representatives can discuss the matter with me,'' the letter stated.

Assuming that the Trinamool chief might not agree to hold direct talks with him the chief minister said if she wanted the government would send a representative to her for dialogues.

Mr Bhattacherjee's invitation came a day after Ms Banerjee rejected for the second time his offer for peaceful discussions over the issue that has created an uproar among the opposition.

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 and the "police atrocities on protesting farmers".

She had refused to withdraw her hunger strike and spurned the offer for talks with the chief minister on the Singur issue, saying the Government must stop acquiring land before any dialogue. She had even threatened a wider movement.

On Wednesday the chief minister made an offer for talks on the compensation and rehabilitation of farmers, whose land had been acquired. He had, however, asserted that the project would be executed.

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

UNI KDG PL AKM 1428