Bhattacharjee sends letter to break fast deadlock

Kolkata, Dec 28 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today wrote other letter to Ms Mamata Banerjee requesting her to withdraw her hunger strike even as her condition remained 'critical.' The chief Minister's conciliatory letter, believed to have contained certain proposals to end the fast, came a day after he talked to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to find a way out of the impasse over the Singur issue.

The letter, which was the fourth from the government, was prepared after the Trinamool leadership had held talks with Housing Minister Gautam Deb to broker a peace formula.

''Approprite action on the demands of Trinamool leader can be taken after discussion,'' the letter, delivered by the Officer on Special Duty to the CM, said.

Earlier, Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray told mediapersons that a solution to the problem would be found shortly.

President A P J Abdul Kalam spoke to the Chief Minister this this morning and expressed concern over Ms Banerjee's health.

Dr Kalam had spoken to Mr Bhattacharjee two days back also.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had instructed Central authorities to extend whatever medical care was required by the Trinamool Congress leader, whose fast entered the 25th day today.

Meanwhile, the Army kept ready a team of doctors to attend to the Trinamool Congress Chief as her condition remained critical.

'' We have kept ready a team of army doctors to attend to Ms Banerjee as and when required by her or by her doctors,'' defence PRO (Eastern wing) R.N.Das told UNI.

Mr Das said an eight-member panel of doctors of Command Hospital has been constituted after a directive from the Prime Minister reached the Army's Eastern Headquarters at Fort Willaims last evening.

The Army doctors would take care of Ms Banerjee who was being put on intermittent oxygen support since Tuesday last, either in the Eastern Command hospital or at her ''dharna manch'' depending on her wish, he said.

EdS: Pick up suitably from earlier series.

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