Mamata Banerjee not to share dais with PM, Sonia Gandhi

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has refused to share the dais with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Malda on Saturday.

Zeenews Bureau

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refused to share the dais with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Malda on Saturday. Both Dr Singh and Sonia Gandhi will be in Malda in West Bengal for a brief 90-minute visit today, during which the PM will lay the foundation of an Engineering institute. Official sources said the Prime Minister Singh and the Congress president would offer floral tributes at the grave of Malda strongman late ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury at his Kotwali residence soon after their arrival. It is being learnt that Abu Naser, a sitting Congress MLA had gone to Writers’ Building to invite Mamata Banerjee. However, the Trinamool chief turned down the request saying that she had some other prior engagements. The Prime minister would also lay the foundation of Ghani Khan Choudhury Institute of Engineering and Technology at Narayanpur near here at a programme in which Gandhi would also participate. West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan would be present at the function. Union HRD Minister M Pallam Raju, besides union ministers of state Abu Hashem Khan Choudhury, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Deepa Dasmunshi would attend the functions, the sources said adding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also expected to participate. AICC observer in-charge of the state Shakeel Ahmed and West Bengal PCC president Pradip Bhattacharya would also be present. Security has been tightened in Malda town in view of the VVIP presence.