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Mamata absent at function in honour of Jyoti Basu

KOLKATA: True to its policy of not attending any public function in which leaders of the ruling Left Front are present, Trinamool Congress (TC) chief Mamata Banerjee and senior party leaders stayed away from the event to rename a town on the north-eastern fringe of the city after veteran Communist leader Jyoti Basu on Thursday.

Many had expected her to show up in view of the ‘proximity' that she had shared with Jyoti Basu despite their being political rivals.

Ms. Banerjee's absence was not only criticised by leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), but a veiled reference to it also made by Manas Bhunia, President of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee.

Indirectly referring to her absence, former Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee said that the tradition of courtesy which Jyoti Basu had extended to his political rivals was being threatened.

“I had invited Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. I had also invited Union Finance Minster Pranab Mukherjee, who could not come because of a foreign visit. But Mamata Banerjee did not send a reply to my letter,” said Minister for Housing Gautam Deb.

Mr. Deb said that invitations extended by him to other senior leaders of the TC had been turned down on the directive of Ms. Banerjee.

“I shall invite her again. How long can she refuse,” Mr. Deb insisted. Conversely, leaders of the CPI(M) are not invited to any functions of the Railways held in the State — a policy that created a stir when Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was not invited to a recent function, where President Pratibha Patil was also present.

“Co-operate in the process of development. Don't create obstacles,” Mr. Deb said, adding that the TC's boycott of discussions and all-party meetings was a recent development, as they had not adopted this posture earlier.

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