‘If she publicly says …’: Congress extends Martyrs’ Day invite to Mamata, however with a situation | India Information
NEW DELHI: Amid a thaw in relations, Congress invited Trinamool Congress supremo and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to the social gathering’s “Martyrs’ Day” programme in Kolkata. Nonetheless, the invitation got here with the situation that she ought to publicly acknowledge that leaving Congress almost three many years in the past was a “mistake”.Whereas speaking to reporters forward of the ‘Martyrs’ Day’ programme at Shahid Minar, West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar stated that Mamata ought to recognise the historic significance of the July 21, 1993, motion as a substitute of “making an attempt to rewrite its legacy”.“If Mamata Banerjee actually has the braveness, she mustn’t distort historical past. She ought to admit that she took a flawed political determination prior to now. She is welcome to come back to our programme at Shahid Minar and pay tribute to the martyrs,” Sarkar stated.“The motion of July 21, 1993, was held underneath the Youth Congress flag. That is part of historical past, and there’s no scope to disclaim it. A political chief who respects his or her personal political previous earns better respect,” he added.He stated that Mamata’s participation within the programme, together with the acknowledgement that quitting the Congress was a political error, could be a big gesture.“If she publicly says that leaving Congress was a mistake and involves the Shahid Minar stage to pay homage to the July 21 martyrs, it will likely be an vital act of political atonement,” Sarkar stated.“It is going to at the least present an effort to right among the errors of the previous. The Congress stage is open to everybody, and she or he is free to come back and pay her respects,” he added.On July 21, 1993, 13 folks allegedly died at a Youth Congress rally led by Mamata Banerjee after police opened fireplace.Regardless of leaving Congress in 1997 and forming TMC, Mamata has been observing the day through the years with mega rallies. In the meantime, Congress continued to mark the day with comparatively low-key programmes.Nonetheless, the scenario has considerably modified this 12 months after TMC misplaced energy within the Bengal meeting elections and was subsequently beset by rise up on a number of fronts.Police have denied permission to the group loyal to former CM to carry the programme in entrance of Victoria Home, the place it has historically been held, with the matter now pending in court docket.However, the insurgent TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee is organising a separate observance of the anniversary close to the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Esplanade.
