RJD chief Lalu Prasad, son Tejaswi arrives in city, likely to meet Mamata

Kolkata: With the chief of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son, Tejasvi Yadav arriving in city on Thursday morning, speculations are rife that the duo is likely to meet Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee to discuss strategies for INDIA bloc ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

Lalu Prasad and Tejaswi arrived at Kolkata airport on Thursday morning. It was learnt that the duo is in the city for personal reasons which involves attending an event here. They were welcomed by the followers of the party at the airport. The duo is likely to be in the city till November 18.

However, their presence in the city has triggered speculations as to whether they would be meeting the Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee who is one of the prominent leaders of the INDIA bloc which consist of about 26 Opposition political parties. Sources said that Tejaswi is yet to make an announcement as to whether they would be meeting Banerjee during their stay in Kolkata. Earlier, he had met Mamata in the city when he was visiting with Nitish Kumar of Janata Dal United (JDU). Both Lalu and his son are expected to play a significant role in the INDIA bloc. Mamata had met Lalu at his residence earlier during her visit to Bihar.

Last month, Mamata had received calls from top rung leaders of Congress, including Rahul Gandhi, inviting her for the next INDIA bloc meeting that is likely to be this month. Sources said that she agreed to attend the meeting, the date for which is yet to be fixed. She was also contacted by Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress national president. Further, she was also contacted by Nationalist Congress Party senior leader Sharad Pawar. The venue for the next meeting is likely Nagpur where the headquarter of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is based. Congress is keen on holding it there as it wants to highlight the alleged attacks on the secular fabric of the country.