Mamata welcomes Somen's decision

Kolkata, Jul 19 (UNI) Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today welcomed former Pradesh Congress president Somen Mitra decision to leave the party and said she would work with him to fight the CPI(M) in West Bengal.

''We welcome the decision taken by Mr.Mitra to quit the Congress and float a new party. We will work togther to fight CPI(M),'' she told reporters.

Describing it as a 'good development,' Ms Banerjee said Mr Mitra had taken a step ''in the right direction''.

''I will welcome him and his followers if they join Trinamool Congress. But it is absolutely his choice,'' she said.

Ms Banerjee, who had recently held two rounds of meeting with Mr Mitra, said it was not possible to sincerely fight the CPI(M) by remaining in Congress as the party had ''hobnobbed'' with the Marxists at the national level.

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