Mamata lays ground for poll campaign

With West Bengal assembly elections a few months away, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee prepared grounds to retain the state for the second time in a row, during her visit to Delhi.

Though the visit was primarily to attend the wedding of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s daughter, Banerjee played her cards well, which could have severe implications on the politics of the state.

She publicly expressed her support to Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul Gandhi, over their reluctance to appear in court in the National Herald case, signalling an effort to reach out to the Congress amid speculation about the party seeking a tie-up with the Left Front for the West Bengal elections.

“If they have to appear in court after so many years in politics then I really think it is a bit too much. I am not commenting on the court order but this is my opinion. If our parliamentarians were standing up in Parliament today, it means that we are with them on this one,” Banerjee said.

She later met Gandhi at her residence, as the Congress leader celebrated her 69 birthday.

Though she bluntly refused to speak on the possibility of any alliance, terming the visit as “courtesy call”, Banerjee’s visit to 10 Janpath will certainly put the political circles chattering.