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UPDATE

  • 30/12/2006

With Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on a hunger strike, (as events stood on December 8, 2006), things are bound not to be normal. Banerjee's hunger strike comes as a mark of protest against Tata's proposed car plant in Singur, West Bengal. This time round, the chief minister of West Bengal and the Trinamool Congress chief have exchanged letters. While Buddhadeb Bhatacharjee requests her to break her fast, Banerjee replies saying, "Take care. We will wait for your reply'. No heightened drama here. Rewind to November 30, 2006: when Banerjee turned up at the West Bengal Assembly in tears after being forcibly prevented by police from going to Singur for a rally against the proposed car plant. Her party legislators went berserk, pulling down mikes and smashing furniture. A 12-hour bandh was called the next day, but by then the damage had already been done. The Trinamul supremo and her MLAs lost the political advantage and practically handed Singur on a platter to the chief minister with their irresponsible behaviour. And, while all this was happening, in Singur, the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation officials, protected by a massive contingent of security personnel, began fencing off the plot where the Tata plant is to come up.

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