Defying CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, the West Bengal government has invited expelled party leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to be the main speaker at the first Jyoti Basu Memorial Lecture at the state Assembly on Thursday.
An angry Mr Karat has spurned the invitation and refused to attend. Much to Mr Karat’s chagrin, PCC chief Manas Bhunia will also be sharing the dais with CM Buddhadeb Bhattac-harjee and Mr Chatterjee.
While the Congress has decided to attend, Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee will skip it. A section of Bengal CPI(M) leaders alleged Mr Karat has also “ensured that no major central leader attends the function”. But Karat loyalists claimed there had been no such instruction. State CPM secretary Biman Bose will also attend. The CM has shared a platform with Mr Chatterjee twice after Mr Chatterjee’s expulsion. The first time was in September 2009, at a CPI(M) programme in Jadavpur. Then, a few months ago, they had rubbed shoulders at the Hiren Mukherjee Memorial Lecture in Kolkata.