Rival courtesy, tempered with barbs

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Mamata Banerjee and Left leaders Biman Bose and Manju Kumar Majumdar greet each at the Mayo Road event. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Calcutta, Jan. 23: Mamata Banerjee today stepped aside for the Left to pay their tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 115th birthday, avoiding a direct confrontation on an auspicious occasion but resumed the political battle at a closed-door event later.

Asked by reporters about the controversy over allowing the Left-constituted Netaji Birth Celebrations Committee to take part in the government event at the foot of the Netaji statue on Mayo Road, the chief minister said: "Netaji belongs to everybody. I am not going to comment."

Mamata then left for Netaji Bhavan at Elgin Road, where the Netaji Research Bureau had organised a programme. At the second event, she lashed out at the CPM for its one-time critical stand on Netaji. "Even those who had called him Tojo's agent are honouring him now. Do we have to learn from them when we should observe Netaji's birthday?" she said, referring to Left leaders who had scoffed at her for organising a programme at Writers' on Saturday, two days before the birthday.

The chief minister also criticised the Centre for "ignoring" her plea to the Prime Minister that Netaji's birthday be declared as a national event.

There has been much bickering between the government and the Opposition over the official celebration of Netaji's birthday.

The administration had initially turned down a request by the Netaji Birth Celebrations Committee, with the Forward Bloc at its helm, that it be allowed to participate in the government programme.

To protest the decision, Left leaders had decided to stand in queue and wait till they were given the chance to pay their tributes.

Although the committee was later given the permission to hold a programme at 1.45pm, the Left leaders left immediately after garlanding Netaji's statue around noon and did not return.

"Both sides played safe and avoided any confrontation but it was apparent that there were undercurrents of disharmony. Both the government and the Opposition tried their best to wrap up the programme early," a senior police officer said.

Left leaders, including CPM state secretary Biman Bose, Bloc veteran Asok Ghosh and the CPI's Manju Kumar Majumdar, marched to Mayo Road from Curzon Park.

They reached around 11.50am. Mamata and her ministers had arrived by then. The Opposition leaders stood some distance from the dais.

Mamata then whispered something to PWD minister Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar and he rushed to receive the Left leaders.

When the Left leaders came near the statue, the chief minister did not walk forward to offer tributes first, which is the custom. Mamata stayed put on her seat while central minister Mukul Roy walked up to the on-duty police personnel and informed them that the Left leaders would pay their tributes first.

Bloc leader Ghosh was the first to offer his respects, followed by Bose and the rest. When the Left leaders started leaving, Mamata rose and went up to Ghosh, held his hand and thanked him for coming. She also greeted Bose.

"The controversy could have been avoided. The government was at a loss about what to do. There was a cloud over the event. After coming here, we learnt that the schedule had been changed. Aamraa khushi, khushi, khushi (we are happy, happy, happy)," Bose told reporters.