Mamata to meet FB leader tomorrow on Nandigram peace move

Kolkakta, May 18(UNI) Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and veteran Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh will sit across the table tomorrow to initiate spadework for holding an all-party meeting for restoration of peace in the trouble-torn Nandigram.

'' Mamata Banerjee will meet me in our office tomorrow. This will be a preparatory exercise for the proposed all-party meeting,'' Mr Ghosh told reporters today after telephonic conversations with Ms Banerjee.

Mr Ghosh apprised Left Front Chairman Biman Basu, who is also CPI(M) State Secretary, and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of the agreement he had reached with the Trinamool leader who returned from Delhi yesterday.

The Forward Bloc State Secretary, who is mediating in the peace process, said efforts would be made to convene the all-party meeting either between May 22 and 24 or between May 28 and 30.

Tomorrow's meeting between the two leaders would take up for discussion the possible date and venue besides the issue as to which parties would be invited to take part in the all-party meeting.

'' Whatever is necessary to reach a consensus on these issues will be done. We shall take decisions after talking to everybody. If necessary, separate bipartite or tripartite meetings can be arranged,'' Mr Ghosh said in reply to a question.

Observing that it was 'everybody's responsibility' to help restore peace in Nandigram, Mr Ghosh said he was satisfied that all political parties were gradually realising the need for sorting out the problems through dialogues. ''It is a positive move,'' he said.

While Mr Ghosh had been insisting on the presence of both Ms Banerjee and Mr Biman Basu in the proposed meeting, the CPI(M) said that the party would send some other represetative. ''There should be no question of any individual. Whoever represents the CPI(M) in the all-party meeting will be fully authorised to help move the peace process,'' CPI(M) Central Committee member Benoy Konar said after the party's state secretariat meeting.

UNI