Abhishek to visit Tripura today

KOLKATA: Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress all-India general secretary, will meet party leaders in Tripura on Monday to discuss the blueprint that will be followed in the state. There is enthusiasm among Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and workers in Tripura over Banerjee's trip.

Banerjee's visit to the state comes days after the Tripura government stopped a 23-member team of Prashant Kishor's Indian Political Action Committee (I- PAC), which had gone there to conduct a survey for Trinamool Congress. The police raided the hotel where the team members had put up and allegedly kept them under house arrest last Sunday. The police had filed cases under the Disaster Management Act against them.

Two state ministers Bratya Basu and Moloy Ghatak and state INTTUC president Ritabrata Banerjee went to Tripura to take stock of the situation. They met I- PAC members. They were joined by party MPs, Derek O' Brien and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. The leaders alleged that the state government had taken the coercive measures as they were mortally scared of Trinamool Congress.

Banerjee will meet the local leaders. The leaders have already sent reports from different districts to Banerjee. Youth Trinamool Congress leaders, Debangshu Bhattacharya, Sudip Raha and Jaya Dutta reached Tripura on Sunday.

Meanwhile, reacting to the I-PAC controversy, Tripura CM Biplab Deb had said he believed in the motto of 'atithi devo bhava' but the state doesn't meddle in police work. Deb said he had respect for Mamata Banerjee and all were welcome in the state.