Date:31/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/31/stories/2006123102141000.htm

National

Prolonged fast affected Mamata: doctors

Staff Reporter

Kolkata: Prolonged abstinence from food has had a deleterious effect on the health of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee but she was responding to treatment, doctors attending on her here said on Saturday.

Ms. Banerjee's liver, kidney and heart had been affected. She required nutritional food to get back to normal health. Her heart rate and blood pressure were slowly returning to normal and she was given semi-solid food on Saturday, the doctors said.

Ms. Banerjee is recuperating in a nursing home after she ended her 25-day hunger strike in protest against alleged forcible acquisition of land for the Tata's car project at Singur in Hooghly district.

Ms. Banerjee, who was still very weak, would take a minimum of another six to eight weeks to recover, the doctors said.