Mamata Banerjee addressing a rally in Delhi that Anna Hazare skipped at the last minute
Mamata Banerjee's first election rally with Anna Hazare in Delhi ended up as an embarrassing solo act for the West Bengal Chief Minister, with the Gandhian activist giving it a miss.
His aides cited health reasons, but Ms Banerjee said "she had no idea" why he didn't show up.
"It is not our rally. Anna invited me, so I came here despite my work, as I had promised," the Trinamool Congress leader said at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, visibly upset at the activist's absence at what was meant to be her pitch to the nation ahead of next month's general election.
At the sprawling venue, which was awash with posters of Anna and Mamata, the absence of one of only two star speakers was glaring. Sources say Anna changed his mind after his aides reported a lukewarm gathering at the site of his 2012 anti-corruption campaign alongside former protege Arvind Kejriwal.
The Trinamool was clearly taken aback by Anna's no-show. As the party's Mukul Roy met the 76-year-old at the Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, reportedly to persuade him to attend the rally, Ms Banerjee declared on stage, "I don't care who supports me. I don't want anything for myself."
Speaking to NDTV later, she insisted that she wasn't bitter.
"I am not disappointed. It wasn't a political rally. It was a social rally. I came because Annaji wanted to address the crowds and invited me to come. It was only after I arrived that I was told he is not coming," said the Chief Minister.
The Trinamool is fielding candidates in at least eight states apart from West Bengal and is expected to name candidates for all seven seats in Delhi.
Anna recently overcame his aversion to supporting political parties and joined the Mamata bandwagon, drawn, he says, by her simplicity, austere life and leadership qualities. At today's rally, he was widely expected to root for the 59-year-old as a prime ministerial probable.