Governor expresses concern,appeals Mamata to withdraw fasting

Kolkata, Dec 12 (UNI) West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi today expressed serious concern about the state of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's health and once again requested her to terminate 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 protestring the Tata Motor's Singur project and the state government, the Governor in a special message here today uged the Trinamool Congress supremo to immediately withdraw her indefinite fast, which entered the ninth day today, and commence a meaningful dialogue with the authority.

"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 withdrasw her protest and start talking to Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee on the land acquisition issue for the Tata Motors' small car unit at Singur.

But Ms Banerjee has decided to ignore it and continued her indefinite fast till the government meets her demand and stop acquisition of farm land for the Tata Motors project.

Besides the Governor, similar appeals from the Chief Minister as well as veteran leader Jyoti Basu and Left Front Chairman Biman Basu also fell into deaf ears as Ms Banerjee's indefinite fast entered the ninth day today with no immediate signs of withdrawing from it.

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

UNI ABA BA RD 1414