Mamata likely to meet Sonia Gandhi, invite her to Federal Front Rally in Kolkata

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who is on a three-day visit here, is likely to meet Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to invite her for the ‘federal-front’ rally in Kolkata on January 19.

Mamata is likely to meet Gandhi and other opposition leaders while in the national capital, TMC sources said.

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Stepping up efforts to take on the BJP, Banerjee now appears more open to joining hands with the Congress party to strengthen the opposition forces.

“There could be certain circumstantial meetings with leaders of opposition parties when Mamata Banerjee would visit Parliament on August 1. She may meet Sonia Gandhi, and also RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as he will be in Delhi during Banerjee’s visit,” said a senior TMC leader.

Mamata is likely to personally invite opposition party leaders for her rally of “federal forces” in Kolkata on January 19.

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During the visit here, TMC leader Derek O’Brien said that apart from opposition leaders, Mamata will also meet Ram Jethmalani, former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha and disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha.

Arun Shourie, a bitter critic of the Modi government, would meet Banerjee later in Kolkata, O’Brien said.

The TMC leader recently met National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on the issue of cobbling an alliance of opposition parties to take on the BJP. Abdullah has maintained that the Congress has to be the “backbone” of the opposition unity with its chief Rahul Gandhi at the forefront of the campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

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Mamata will be delivering a lecture at the conclave organised by Catholic Bishops Conference of India on July 31.

She is expected to attack the BJP on incidents of violence against members of minority communities.

The West Bengal chief minister, who has strongly criticised National Register of Citizens (NRC) draft for Assam, has also sought an appointment with the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss the issue.

(With inputs from agencies)