With Assembly elections in West Bengal just a few months away, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Saturday had a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi.
What transpired between the two leaders was not immediately clear. Ms. Banerjee declined to speak to the media on the meeting.
Ms. Mamata, whose party projects her as the next Chief Minister of the State, described as “courtesy call” her meeting with Ms. Gandhi who is also UPA chairperson.
Congress has already declared that it would contest the Assembly elections in West Bengal in alliance with Trinamool.
Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee told a rally in West Bengal on Saturday that the alliance with Trinamool would continue.
But relations between Ms. Banerjee’s party and PCC in West Bengal has been under strain over the alliance issue with a prominent section of the latter saying the tie-up with Trinamool should not be at the expense of the party.
Senior Congress leaders from West Bengal have been opposing Ms. Banerjee and her party’s role in “hitting the roads on issues like price rise” even though they were part of the UPA and the government at the Centre.
The meeting took place days after Ms. Banerjee shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh protesting the recent hike in petrol prices.
Incidentally, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister S. Jaipal Reddy met Ms. Gandhi soon after Ms. Banerjee’s parleys with her.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Reddy denied he discussed the issue of petroleum prices with Ms. Gandhi, noting that decisions on such issues are taken in the Cabinet.
Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Culture Minister Selja also had a meeting with Ms. Gandhi.
