The Trinamool Congress – the second-largest constituent of the UPA – has decided to skip the July 18 dinner being hosted by Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi ahead of the presidential poll, a party MP said Friday.
“Yes it has been decided that neither our supremo Mamata Banerjee nor any representative from Trinamool Congress will attend the dinner,” Trinamool Lok Sabha member Kunal Ghosh told IANS here.
“We have taken this decision because of two reasons. One, our party will hold a massive meeting on July 21. Secondly, all the MPs and MLAs (legislators) have been asked to remain in Kolkata since July 18 in view of the July 19 presidential polls,” Ghosh said.
Gandhi would host the dinner for MPs of the UPA and supporting parties.
Congress sources said the meeting is aimed at closer interaction between the alliance partners and supporting parties ahead of the presidential election.
Banerjee, also the West Bengal chief minister, is yet to announce her party’s support to any candidate.
The Trinamool is yet to take a stand on the presidential election after its preferred candidate, former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, declined to contest.