Kolkata: In a significant political development, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is leaving for New Delhi on Tuesday after being summoned by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to discuss about a consensus presidential candidate.
Official sources said the AICC chief telephoned Ms Banerjee on Tuesday morning and the meeting between the duo would take place on Wednesday.
The issue of a ‘special package’ to the state by the Centre is also likely to be discussed, the sources said.
According to political observers, Gandhi wants to finalise the UPA’s presidential candidate before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s upcoming foreign visit.
Earlier, the Congress camp had indicated that it would finalise and announce the UPA’s presidential nominee after Dr Singh’s return on June 23.
The prime minister will be visiting Mexico for the G-20 summit and then Brazil for the Rio + 20 United Nations Sustainable Conclave during June 16-22.
Hectic lobbying is on here by the state Congress to convince the chief minister to agree to the idea of proposing Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA’s presidential nominee. Both PCC president Pradip Bhattacharya and state Irrigation Minister Manas Bhunia (Cong) made a strong pitch recently for Mr Mukherjee’s candidature.
Leaders of the Congress affiliated organisations have also appealed to Ms Banerjee to put her seal of approval on the plan to make a Bengali a president for the first time.
Banerjee was initially not averse to the idea but later developed cold feet and suggested choices other than Mukherjee. As the momentum mounts in favour of Mr Mukherjee, state Finance Minister Amit Mitra’s meeting with him in the capital yesterday to discuss Central financial assistance over the state’s ‘debt burden’ was perceived in some quarters as the Trinamool Congress chief’s ‘hard bargaining’ in lieu of her support to the Congress’s presidential candidate. (UNI)
