TMC meet at Naxalbari village visited by Amit Shah few days back

TT, Siliguri, April 30: Trinamul held a public meeting at South Kotiajote in Naxalbari this evening, a few days after BJP national president Amit Shah had visited the same village and addressed a gathering.

Gautam Deb, the state tourism minister and Darjeeling district (plains) Trinamul president, attended the meeting that was held a stone's throw from the house of Sadhana Mondal, the BJP member of Naxalbari panchayat where Shah had held a meeting with booth-level party workers.

However, Deb today said: "It would be wrong to link today's meeting to his (Amit Shah's) visit. We had initiated such booth-level programmes long back and today, we held a meeting of two Naxalbari booths."

Around 1,000 Trinamul workers attended the meeting organised by Naxalbari II block committee of Trinamul today.

"Whoever comes here and goes, after some time, it does not matter for us. To understand and resolve people's problems, it is necessary to stay on their side perennially. It is only Trinamul that stays with people and works for them," the minister told the meeting.

In coming days, Trinamul will take up a series of activities in the village and adjoining areas of Naxalbari block, he added.

Such meetings and activities, party sources said, would be held in Bhowanipore and Rajarhat New Town Assembly constituencies which Shah had visited on April 26 and 27.