Mamata tells party men to lunch with Sonia
6 Aug 2012 8:33 AM IST
In her quintessentially ritualistic manner, Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be hosting lunch for MPs of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and it’s allies on Monday, a day before the vice-presidential election to be held on Tuesday. The Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday asked her party’s MPs to attend the luncheon, in response to an invitation by Sonia Gandhi. Gandhi had hosted a similar lunch 18 July, a day ahead of the presidential poll.
While Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik clearly said that his party— the Biju Janata Dal — would most likely be abstaining from voting in the vice-presidential polls to be held on 7 August.
According to reports, ‘Trinamool Congress MPs will participate in the luncheon to be hosted by the UPA chairperson tomorrow ahead of vice-presidential election slated for August 7,’ said TMC’s parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay. He said that as per instructions from Banerjee he would be attending the lunch.
TMC leader Derek O’Brien confirmed this, ‘There will be a good participation of Trinamool Congress MPs at the luncheon. All party MPs who are staying in New Delhi will attend.’
Sources said with the monsoon session starting from 8 August, for UPA’s candidate and incumbent vice-president Hamid Ansari the lunch would ensure the support he has garnered from the UPA’s alliance partners and other parties supporting it from outside.
Besides the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, DMK, Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal and the National Conference, who are part of UPA, leaders of parties like the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party are expected to attend the lunch which is being held in a hotel, in the Capital. Even the Left is supporting Ansari’s candidature.
While Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik clearly said that his party— the Biju Janata Dal — would most likely be abstaining from voting in the vice-presidential polls to be held on 7 August.
According to reports, ‘Trinamool Congress MPs will participate in the luncheon to be hosted by the UPA chairperson tomorrow ahead of vice-presidential election slated for August 7,’ said TMC’s parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay. He said that as per instructions from Banerjee he would be attending the lunch.
TMC leader Derek O’Brien confirmed this, ‘There will be a good participation of Trinamool Congress MPs at the luncheon. All party MPs who are staying in New Delhi will attend.’
Sources said with the monsoon session starting from 8 August, for UPA’s candidate and incumbent vice-president Hamid Ansari the lunch would ensure the support he has garnered from the UPA’s alliance partners and other parties supporting it from outside.
Besides the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, DMK, Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal and the National Conference, who are part of UPA, leaders of parties like the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party are expected to attend the lunch which is being held in a hotel, in the Capital. Even the Left is supporting Ansari’s candidature.
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