Mamata to skip swearing-in functions of Badal, Akhilesh

Trinamool Congress on Sunday said the party chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has decided not to attend the swearing-in ceremonies of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh chief ministers.

"I just spoke to Mamatadi. She was keen to make the trip to Chandigarh and Lucknow but now she will be in West Bengal on the opening day of the Assembly for the Governor's address,"  Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Derek O' Brien said in Kolkata. Mamata was invited to the swearing-in ceremonies of Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and UP CM Akhilesh Yadav. Brien also posted the information on social networking site Twitter. He declined to comment on Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi's caution against Banerjee not to cross the "laxman rekha (boundary line)" of "coalition dharma" by attending the two swearing-in ceremonies. The Congress spokesman told reporters in Delhi, "Social interactions with strangers by those in partnerships is permissible but obviously if things go beyond the normal boundaries of social courtesy, it would become immoral." All India Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy said it is a parliamentary convention that chief minister should remain present in the House during the governor's speech on the opening day of the Assembly session. The Budget session of the state Assembly is scheduled to begin on March 15. Roy also refused to comment on Singvi's "Laksman rekha" remarks. Banerjee would not be present at Nandigram either on March 14 when the Trinamool Congress would observe 'Krishi Jomi Rokhya Dibas' to commemorate the death of 14 villagers in police firing on the day in 2007 during protest against proposed land acquisition. "She will not be able to participate at Nandigram due to preoccupation," Roy said. Trinamool Congress leaders Partha Chatterjee and Sishir Adhikari would attend the programme there along with several other party MPs and MLAs, he said.