Mamata, Sikdar rally on the cards

And if nothing goes wrong, this would be the first ever Trinamool Congress public meeting which will be attended by Sikdar. In the past, leaders of both the camps had talked about Mamata and Sikdar sharing a common dais. Sikdar is expected to be there with other senior BJP leaders, according to Trinamool Congress sources.

Every year, the July 21 rally is organised by Mamata Banerjee as a protest day to remember the 11 Youth Congress workers who were killed in a police shootout in the 1993.

Incidentally, Mamata-Sikdar rift, which left several party leaders of both camps confused during the last Lok Shaba andpanchayat elections, “cost the alliance dearly”, according to both the camps.

Sikdar’s confirming the invitation assumes importance as both the partners went to 12 municipal polls today without having indulged in mutual tongue-lashing or the usual mud-slinging.

Ajit Panja, a senior Trinamool Congress leader, confirming the party’s invitation to Sikdar, said, “As a new party, we had our problems and the little differences we had with the state BJP leadership are fumigating with political maturity that our alliance is attaining with time.”

He said, “For a good cause we sat together and thrashed out our problems.” But he did not choose to elaborate what the exact differences were. Sikdar said he was happy that it was happening at last and that they had “come more closer to each other”. “For long I was trying to bring them round the point that both of us should share a common dias, launch joint movement in the state. I am happy that this is going to happen soon,” he added.

However, he could notconfirm the names of the central BJP leaders who would attend the Trinamool Congress rally. He said, “The state BJP is participating, and in all possibility I will be there too but my presence would depend on our Parliamentary party’s permission as Parliament session will be on.”