Kolkata/New Delhi: Trinamool Congress chief and the UPA's most troublesome ally at the Centre Mamata Banerjee is reportedly "keen to attend" the swearing-in ceremonies of the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, but might now have to miss it for she has to attend the budget session at West Bengal assembly.
The message has been conveyed through a comment posted on Twitter by her party spokesperson Derek O'Brien that reads - "Just spoke to Mamatadi. Was keen to make trip to Ch'garh/L'now but now she'll be in #bengal on opening day of Assembly for Guv."
Sources say the Bengal Governor has asked Chief Minister Mamata to stay back for budget session. But Didi it seems has managed to send across the message to the Congress.
It was another tweet by Derek O'Brien yesterday that had indicated that Ms Banerjee would attend the swearing-in ceremonies of Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal and Samjawadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav.
Since both parties are staunch opponents of the Congress, Mamata's "keenness" to attend the functions is being seen by many as yet another snub to the party. Over the past several months, Ms Banerjee has often confronted the Centre over key policy decisions like FDI in multi-brand retail. She has also been a loud voice in a campaign by Chief Ministers who say the Centre is a serial offender of the principles of federalism.
The Congress however has so far tried to downplay the invites extended to the Trinamool chief. "Inviting someone for a function does not necessarily have some political motivation. In human relations, people invite people for a party and it should not all the time considered exclusively political," explained Congress General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed, who reportedly met Ms Banerjee yesterday after reports said that she would attend the ceremonies in Punjab and UP. Interestingly, these reports came on a day when in no small measure of relief for the Congress, Ms Banerjee said that "she is not a traitor" and has no plans to create the need for mid-term elections.
In Punjab, the Akalis have been voted back to power with their partner, the BJP. The Congress had counted on winning the state. Ms Banerjee's desire to be present at the ceremony there will be seen as an indication of her increasingly warm relations with Congress rivals.
Mr Badal's son, Sukhbir Singh Badal, has explained that his invite to Ms Banerjee has "nothing to do with wooing." "We have invited Chief Ministers from several states because of personal relations Mr Parkash Singh Badal shares with them," he said.
After the recent state elections in Punjab and UP, BJP's Sushma Swaraj said that mid-term polls are likely. Dinesh Trivedi, cabinet minister from Ms Banerjee's party, said this week that he believes his party may prefer mid-term polls to capitalize on the voter preference that gave Ms Banerjee a stunning verdict two years ago. He later said that was his personal view and Ms Banerjee has said in Kolkata that all MPs from her party have been alerted not to share private opinions.
The elections in Punjab and UP have demonstrated the political might of regional parties who their states identify with. Both national parties- the BJP and the Congress-were marginalised. In Punjab, the BJP won fewer seats than it had in the last state elections. It was saved by the strong numbers if its collaborator, the Akalis, with who it now returns to power.
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The message has been conveyed through a comment posted on Twitter by her party spokesperson Derek O'Brien that reads - "Just spoke to Mamatadi. Was keen to make trip to Ch'garh/L'now but now she'll be in #bengal on opening day of Assembly for Guv."
Sources say the Bengal Governor has asked Chief Minister Mamata to stay back for budget session. But Didi it seems has managed to send across the message to the Congress.
It was another tweet by Derek O'Brien yesterday that had indicated that Ms Banerjee would attend the swearing-in ceremonies of Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal and Samjawadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav.
Since both parties are staunch opponents of the Congress, Mamata's "keenness" to attend the functions is being seen by many as yet another snub to the party. Over the past several months, Ms Banerjee has often confronted the Centre over key policy decisions like FDI in multi-brand retail. She has also been a loud voice in a campaign by Chief Ministers who say the Centre is a serial offender of the principles of federalism.
The Congress however has so far tried to downplay the invites extended to the Trinamool chief. "Inviting someone for a function does not necessarily have some political motivation. In human relations, people invite people for a party and it should not all the time considered exclusively political," explained Congress General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed, who reportedly met Ms Banerjee yesterday after reports said that she would attend the ceremonies in Punjab and UP. Interestingly, these reports came on a day when in no small measure of relief for the Congress, Ms Banerjee said that "she is not a traitor" and has no plans to create the need for mid-term elections.
In Punjab, the Akalis have been voted back to power with their partner, the BJP. The Congress had counted on winning the state. Ms Banerjee's desire to be present at the ceremony there will be seen as an indication of her increasingly warm relations with Congress rivals.
Mr Badal's son, Sukhbir Singh Badal, has explained that his invite to Ms Banerjee has "nothing to do with wooing." "We have invited Chief Ministers from several states because of personal relations Mr Parkash Singh Badal shares with them," he said.
After the recent state elections in Punjab and UP, BJP's Sushma Swaraj said that mid-term polls are likely. Dinesh Trivedi, cabinet minister from Ms Banerjee's party, said this week that he believes his party may prefer mid-term polls to capitalize on the voter preference that gave Ms Banerjee a stunning verdict two years ago. He later said that was his personal view and Ms Banerjee has said in Kolkata that all MPs from her party have been alerted not to share private opinions.
The elections in Punjab and UP have demonstrated the political might of regional parties who their states identify with. Both national parties- the BJP and the Congress-were marginalised. In Punjab, the BJP won fewer seats than it had in the last state elections. It was saved by the strong numbers if its collaborator, the Akalis, with who it now returns to power.
For NDTV Updates, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook
View the original article here
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