CALCUTTA, June 1: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Sunday requested Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee to join the current session of the Lok Sabha and assured her that a team comprising MPs from the BJP and its allies would be sent to West Bengal.Mamata however stuck to her stand on Trinamool's support to the Centre and its boycott of the Lok Sabha. She also expressed her inability to accept the Prime Minister's invitation to visit Delhi for discussions due to some "pre-occupations".
In a fax message to Mamata last night, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee expressed concern over the developments in West Bengal and assured her that "justice would be done" to the aspirations of the people of the state.
"Since you are a valuable ally and have a very good understanding of the situation in the state, I would appreciate if you would come to Delhi to discuss these developments", the Prime Minister said in his message.
Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay however told mediapersonstoday that Mamata could not go "right now" to Delhi because of her "pre-occupations" at Kakdwip, Arambagh, Burdwan, Midnapore and Banakura "to side with oppressed Trinamool workers".
The team promised by the Prime Minister would assess the situation arising out of political clashes in the aftermath of the panchayat polls, Bandopadhyay said today. he Prime Minister had also telephoned Mamata last night to enquire about her demands.
The Trinamool leader had told him then that she had the "highest regard" for him and that she did not want the government to face any crisis "at this hour" after the nuclear test by Pakistan.
Bandopadhyay who was present at her residence during the telephonic discussion said she had informed Vajpayee that 52 Trinamool and 14 BJP workers were killed before and after the rural polls.
During her talks, Bandopadhyay said, Mamata Banerjee had informed the Prime Minister of the killing of five supporters of the RSP, a constituent of the ruling Left Front, by the CPI-M at Basantiin south 24 Paraganas district yesterday.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.