Mamata undergoes treatment in ICU

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who ended her 25-day fast late Thursday night following personal appeals from President A P J Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of a city hospital as her heart and pulse rates are low.

Mamata was undergoing treatment to correct her dehydration, hypoglycaeamia and other nutritional deficiencies, Kakoli Ghoshdastidar, a doctor attending on her, said on Friday morning. "She is on oxygen unit and intravenous fluid correction," she said.

Investigation was also being carried out to ascertain whether any of her vital organs had failed or not. Anxious party supporters gathered outside the south Kolkata nursing home to know about the health condition of Mamata.

"I am ending the fast because the country's top leaders, including President APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, have requested me to do so", Mamata had said at the stroke of midnight, announcing her decision to end her fast.

Earlier on Thursday, the Prime Minister had sent a letter to the Trinamool chief, appealing to her to end her fast and said that West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee had assured that he was ready to discuss all issues she might like to raise on Singur issue. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, too, wrote a letter to Mamata saying her life was "more important" for the cause of the farmers.