Kolkata:  Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, an emissary of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is hopeful of ending Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee's fast that entered the 23rd day today (Dec 26, 2006) in protest against the grant of farmland to a Tata car project.

"I am hopeful of a solution. If the chief minister takes a little initiative after the initiative shown by the prime minister and if the Trinamool Congress leadership accepts it, then I can see a way out," Dasmunshi told a Bengali news channel Monday night.

Anxious over Mamata's health, Manmohan Singh, visiting West Bengal Saturday, asked Dasmunshi to meet her in a bid to explore solutions to the impasse over the state government's move to allocate farmland in Singur, 60 km from here, to Tata Motors.

But Banerjee refused to end her hunger strike.

"It is not possible for me to end my fast since there is no specific assurance from the chief minister to return the forcibly acquired land to farmers," she said.

"I think if the chief minister in principle accepts that he will hold talks with those whose land was forcibly taken and those who have refused to give land so far, then I see a way out to persuade Mamata to end her fast in a respectable manner,"said Dasmunshi

"Whatever proposals I have sent to the chief minister are the proposals of Mamata Banerjee. So it depends on her too and not me," he said.

 He added that the Trinamool chief could join the dialogue without withdrawing her fast.

"Her party has competent people like Saugata Roy who can help her. She can send a delegation to the chief minister," he said.

"Besides this option, Mamata can trust the chief minister and end her fast. If she finds that she was misled by the chief minister, she has the option to start a bigger movement. I think the Trinamool erred in not taking the agitation to Singur with their activists from the districts while keeping the hunger strike programme on in Kolkata," said Dasmunshi.

The minister also said there could be a respectable way out if the chief minister follows an open-minded approach.
 

"I have done everything possible both in my official and personal capacity and now the ball is in their court," he said.

Banerjee got a morale booster earlier with Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi urging the chief minister to talk to her after he visited her hunger strike venue twice.
 

Former chief minister Jyoti Basu has also urged Banerjee to end her protest, saying 'A young politician like her has to wage a prolonged fight in future and keeping such struggles ahead in mind should end her fast," he said.