ELECTION

SUCI not invited yet to Mamata's meeting 

COOCH BEHAR, March 20: The leaders of the Socialist Unity Centre (SUCI) are yet to receive any invitation from the Trinamul Congress to attend the proposed meeting of Miss Mamata Banerjee that is to be held at Dinhata on 28 March. The Trinamul Congress, however, already extended invitation to the Congress and requested them to share seats on the dais. Accordingly, five senior Congress leaders may be found on the same dais from where Miss Banerjee is to deliver her address.

If invited, district SUCI secretary Mr Sisir Sarkar, said, they might attend the meeting. But it may not be possible for them to attend and share the dais with the Congress. They have reservations about the Congress and the BJP. The party's policy is to keep equal distance from both the parties. At the same time the SUCI leader made it clear that they will not attend any joint programme with the Trinamul Congress in presence of Congress.

Mr Sarkar said as the SUCI entered into an alliance with the Trinamul Congress it will not hesitate to campaign for the candidate of the alliance. "We must invite the Trinamul to attend our programme and we will participate to their programme. But, we will not share any programme with the Congress", he cleared.

On the otherhand, no meeting between the SUCI and the Trinamul Congress on joint campaign took place till now. It is yet uncertain when such a meeting will be held. "The Trinamul Congress leadership met the Congress leadership but we are yet to sit with them", Mr Sarkar said. He however said that as a partner of the alliance they already started campaigning in favour of the alliance candidate Mr Arghya Roy Pradhan. The SUCI will take out its first election rally in Cooch Behar town on Monday, Mr Sarkar added.

When asked, district Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabi Ghosh said they would invite all member-parties of the alliance led by Miss Mamata Banerjee to attend the Dinhata meeting. As there exists an understanding with the Congress, all partners of the alliance should honour it, Mr Ghosh said. Talks on joint campaign will also be held with the SUCI following the policy declared by the state Trinamul leadership, district vice-president Mr Niranjan Dutta, added.