Mamata ‘snubs’ Sovan, puts him on hold for three days

Rift in trinamool Rebel MLA meets Partha, Subrata to convey his dissatisfaction

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today refused to meet dissenting MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, but spoke to him over phone and promised to have a detailed discussion with him following her Junglemahal tour.

Chattopadhyay, who was roughed up by a section of Trinamool supporters belonging to a rival group at Calcutta University on Tuesday, had demanded that the party "say a few words of condemnation" against the incident. But the party has not yet officially condemned the incident, which made Chattopadhyay's followers angry.

The veteran Trinamool leader, who has been associated with the party since its inception, went to the Chief Minister's Kalighat residence and waited there for nearly half an hour.

"But the Chief Minister did not meet him. Instead, she spoke to him over phone and told him she would give him a patient hearing once she returned from Bankura," a source said.

Two senior leaders — industry minister Partha Chatterjee and panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee — today summoned Chattopadhyay to the Assembly for a discussion. "Chattopadhyay told them that the incident had sent a wrong message to veteran leaders who are associated with the party since 1998. If no action is taken against those involved in the incident, the party will have to lose veteran leaders in the long run," said a Trinamool leader.

Asked why Chattopadhyay responded to the calls of the ministers, a Trinamool leader said Chattopadhyay wants the party by his side.

"If he ignores the call, the party might say he is arrogant. Following requests from the top leadership, Chattopadhyay called off the rally that his followers were planning yesterday in protest against the incident. So the party cannot call him disobedient," a leader close to Chattopadhyay said.

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