Ghani mulls meeting Sonia

Statesman News Service

MALDA,(India) Jan. 19. — After cancelling his plan to attend the Hyderabad session of Congress Working Committee, Mr Ghani Khan Choudhury is now mulling to meet Mrs Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi tentatively in the last week of January, Malda Congress sources said today.Embarrassed by the recent controversy over mahajot, Mr Choudhury today attended a social programme, where he met the Congress party workers and interacted with them.“Barkat-da is the only man who has boldly disclosed the plan to formulate the mahajot and tactically oust the CPI-M. But, we know that an alliance with the BJP will be again a “national level politics blunder”, Mr Samit Chatterjee, a Congress member said.“The PCC has adopted a resolution to form an alliance with all anti-Left votes in the state and its execution is a must,” a group of Malda Congress workers said. They pointed out that though Trinamul has solid hold on certain districts in South Bengal as compared to Congress, but not in Murshidabad and Malda, where Trinamul will need Congress. Likewise, at some places the Congress will also need Trinamul’s support. Otherwise, the anti-Left vote bank will be divided, the sources added.Congress sources further revealed that Mr Ghani Khan Choudhary would meet Mrs Sonia Gandhi and another meeting will be organised with her where West Bengal PCC chief, Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Raiganj MP, Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi will also be present. #

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Cong asks BJP man to defect
Statesman News Service

MALDA, Jan. 20. — While on the one hand, the Congress stalwart is still harping on a mahajot, a group of Congress leaders including the PCC members reportedly proposed the suspended the BJP leader and the former Union minister, Mr Tapan Sikdar, to join Congress.Political sources said that some Congress leaders also proposed that Mr Sikdar contest in the Assembly segment if he likes and even for the English Bazaar seat in Malda.The object of this move is to crush the BJP in West Bengal, which is an ally of the Trinamul Congress, informed sources.The political leaders of both the Trinamul and the BJP camps are discussing the matter, but, they do have any information about the final decision from the end of Mr Sikdar till date. The news has hurt the Trinamul as well as the BJP camps on the issue of mahajot and the Malda Trinamul district president was also reportedly planning to contest again in the English Bazaar. It may be recalled that Mr Tapan Sikdar had contested twice in English Bazaar Assembly seat, but was defeated. Lastly, he was elected as MP from DamDam parliamentary constituency.Owing to factional feud and difference of opinion with the present state president, Mr Tathagata Roy, Mr Sikdar was suspended on the charge of anti-party activities, as per records.#