Buddhadeb invited for Mamata's swearing-in ceremony

Kolkata, May 19: Seeking to reach out to arch rival CPI-M, Trinamool Congress on Thursday, May 19, invited outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for swearing-in of the new government on Friday, May 20.

Deputy leader of the Trinamool Congress legislature party Partha Chatterjee met Bhattacharjee at his Palm Avenue residence here and invited him for Friday's ceremony.

Chatterjee invited both Bhattacharjee and his wife Meera Bhattacharjee to the inauguration of the new council of ministers.

The visit to Bhattacharjee's residence was the first by any Trinamool leader since the party came into being in 1998.

Chatterjee, who told reporters he had gone to Bhattacherjee's residence as directed by Mamata Banerjee, said, "We will do our work showing due courtesy to all."

On Tuesday, Chief Minister-designate Mamata Banerjee herself went to expelled CPI-M leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's residence here to invite him for the swearing-in ceremony.

A senior Left Front leader and RSP central committee member Manoj Bhattacharjee said, "I appreciate the good gesture, but I feel this is not enough. This humility should also be present in the party's grassroot level."

The RSP leader observed development programmes could be best implemented if ''disturbances in civil society'' were take care of.

PTI