Darjeeling (West Bengal): Hours after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' entered West Bengal at Cooch Behar, All India General Secretary and party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh requested Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to be present at the rally even if it is only for five minutes in view of the interest of the INDIA alliance. Ramesh said invitation in this regard has already been sent to Banerjee by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
While interacting with newspersons before departing for Delhi from Bagdogra Airport on Thursday, Ramesh praised and thanked Banerjee for her unrelenting support and role in the erstwhile UPA governments. "West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been invited at the rally. Kharge ji has sent an invitation letter through mail. I still remember that the Land Acquisition Act that was brought by the UPA government in 2011, could not have been passed in 2013 without Mamata Banerjee. We respect Mamata Banerjee a lot. I want to say humbly that we will find a way out of this complex situation," Ramesh said.
Emphasising Trinamool Congress's (TMC) importance, the senior Congress leader said, "TMC is the most important player in West Bengal politics and it must be there to defeat the BJP. Their presence is inevitable. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge ji everyone wants Mamata Banerjee to come and join the 'Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra'. She is the Chief Minister and I know she has done a lot of work here." Ramesh further urged the CM to take some time out of her busy schedule to attend the rally even if it is for only five or 10 minutes.
Ramesh's appeal comes a day after Banerjee announced that TMC will contest solo in West Bengal and would decide on alliance with the Congress after the Lok Sabha elections.
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