Trinamool to attend Sonia’s luncheon

Decision may indicate party’s support for UPA Vice-Presidential nominee

August 06, 2012 04:35 am | Updated July 01, 2016 12:25 pm IST - KOLKATA

The Trinamool Congress will be attending the luncheon to be hosted by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi for its parties in the ruling coalition in New Delhi on Monday, a day ahead of the Vice-Presidential elections, said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday.

Responding to Ms. Gandhi’s invitation, the Trinamool chief directed Parliamentary Party leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay to attend the luncheon along with other party MPs present in the capital, sources said.

The decision could be indicative of the party’s decision to vote for the UPA nominee — the former Vice-President, Hamid Ansari — even though initially it had reservations on his candidature and suggested alternative names, much like it had ahead of the Presidential polls.

Trinamool MPs will also be meeting in New Delhi later on Monday to chalk out the party’s strategy for the Parliament monsoon session, which is commencing on August 8.

Ms. Banerjee’s directive is also being read as a sign of an improvement in relations between the Trinamool and the Congress.

The Trinamool leadership, however, has made clear that it will continue to oppose the UPA on issues such as foreign direct investment in the multi-brand retail sector and forward trading in commodities.

Ms. Banerjee had reiterated her party’s decision to oppose any “anti-people” policies of the UPA government even as she made a climb-down and announced her party’s support to the UPA nominee for the Presidential polls less than 48 hours before voting began.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.