Delhi leaders skip Bengal Congress minority cell's rally against CM Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA: Bengal Congress minority cell on Wednesday held a rally here to accuse chief minister Mamata Banerjee for doing nothing for the development of minority population in the state during her four year regime. Even though the state minority cell chief Khalid Ebadullah had invited top party leaders like party president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to address the gathering, no top party leaders attended the minority conference here. Actor Raj Babbar was the key attraction of Wednesday's show held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

On Tuesday, state Congress held a Bangla Bandh mainly to highlight failure of Mamata Banerjee's government to maintain law and order in the state.

There is no doubt that the Congress high command had given a green signal to the state unit to go for the Bangla Bandh. But on Wednesday, none of the heavyweight leaders from Delhi attended the minority convention, hinting a clear indication that Congress high command is not ready to project itself as an anti-Mamata force before next year's Assembly elections.

All the leaders including the party's minority cell chief Khursheed Ahmad Syed came down heavily on both the previous Left Front government and the present government under Mamata's leadership for ignoring the plight of the Muslim population in Bengal.But the absence of heavyweight leaders from Delhi raised eyebrows of many state Congress leaders who feel that party high command's attitude towards Mamata Banerjee might have changed after a meeting of Bengal chief minister and Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi in Delhi last week.

"We are fighting against Mamata Banerjee. But there is no certainty that our high command will allow the state unit to intensify stir against Mamata immediately. I personally feel that our high command might consider proposal for striking an electoral patch up with Trinamool Congress next year. Till then, high command might not give green signal to our efforts to intensify stir against the chief minister," said a Congress leader and former state party president on condition of anonymity.