Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee (Photo: Twitter)
Kolkata: As Congress scion Rahul Gandhi has resumed his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from the north of West Bengal, Trinamul Congress supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who recently ruled out any alliance with the grand old party for the Lok Sabha Election in the state, also flew to the same region on a four-day visit.
Whether they will cross their path or not during their concurrent tours remains a secret however. On Sunday afternoon, Mr Gandhi restarted his public outreach campaign from Jalpaiguri following a two-day break in New Delhi after cutting short his itinerary in the Bengal leg over TMC protests in Coochbehar.
Within hours, Ms Banerjee flew to Hasimara airbase in Alipurduar from Kolkata Airport.
In the evening Mr Gandhi reached Siliguri. Without referring to TMC and it's chief, he told a party rally, “Bengal is a special place and not an ordinary one. It made the ideological blueprint to fight the British for independence. You are intellectual, have thoughts and can go along with others.”
Mr Gandhi added, “Since you are Bengali, it is your duty to show the country the way against hatred and violence like Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda. You have the power in you. Each Bengali has the flame within. If you don't do it, the nation will never forgive you.”
The Congress leader also attacked the BJP over Agnipath scheme in the the armed forces and favours to some big corporations. His rally will reach Islampur in North Dinajpur on Monday before entering Bihar from where he will re-enter Bengal through Malda on January 31 and end in Murshidabad on February 1.
On the other hand, Ms Banerjee will address rallies in Coochbehar and Siliguri on Monday, Raiganj in North Dinajpur and Balurghat in South Dinajpur on January 30 and Malda on January 31. Before returning to Kolkata, she will also hold rallies in Murshidabad and at Krishnanagar in Nadia on January 31 and Shantipur in Nadia on February 1.
She has however stayed away from the media as a high political drama unfolded in Bihar where ruling JD(U) exited I.N.D.I.A. bloc and accused her of playing into the hands of the Congress to make Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the prime ministerial face of the anti-BJP forum.
Earlier when the TMC chief announced her North Bengal visit a day after her snub to Congress, her tour was perceived as her counter to Mr Gandhi's programme. But her head injuries in a near-collision incident during a district tour appeared to have changed the dimension.
While the Congress has been repeatedly reaching out to the TMC chief with a hope to strike a seat-sharing formula, sources claimed that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi later inquired Ms Banerjee about her well-being.
AICC leader Jairam Ramesh said, “Statements, counter statements keep happening between Congress and TMC. But it is sure that democracy prevails in our alliance. There is no shot of autocracy in our I.N.D.I.A. group. Our alliance is a democratic one where all express their views. Mamataji’s priority is to finish ideology of BJP and RSS. This is not only an electoral battle but also an ideological one. Mamataji's aim is to defeat BJP. We also have the same target. So we are united.”
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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