Governor appeals to Mamata to withdraw fast

Kolkata, Dec 12: West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi today expressed serious concern over Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's health and renewed his request to end her fast and commence a dialogue with the Government on the Singur issue.

Expressing his deep distress over the present stalemate and the ''lack of dialogue'' between those protesting the Tata Motor's Singur project and the state government, the Governor in a special message here uged the Trinamool Congress chief to immediately withdraw her indefinite fast, which entered the ninth day today, and commence a meaningful dialogue with the authorities.

''I believe that Ms Banerjee and other protestors should conserve their energy and direct it towards evolving a long term norm for land use and land conversion in a state where agriculture is paramount and industrialisation is also imperative,'' the Governor in his message emphasised and pointed out that, ''no harm can possibly come from dialogue,'' he said.

Incidentally, the Governor in a sudden and unexpected move had visited the Trinamool Congress supremo at her Central Kolkata Protest manch on the third day of her indefinite fast on December six and requested her to withdraw her protest and start talks with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee on the land acquisition issue for the Tata Motors' small car unit at Singur.

But Ms Banerjee had ignored it and continued her indefinite fast.

She is demanding the land acquisition should be stopped forthwith and prohiitory orders be lifted from Singur.

She has rejected similar appeals from the Chief Minister as well as veteran leader Jyoti Basu and Left Front Chairman Biman Bose.

Meanwhile,the Trinamool Congress had decided to launch a marathon 96 hour road blockade and other agitational programmes in the state to press for its demands.

UNI