Admit Quitting Party Was "Mistake": Congress Invites Mamata Banerjee To Event

West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar on Tuesday invited TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to the party's July 21 programme in Kolkata, saying she should acknowledge that leaving the Congress nearly three decades ago was a "mistake".

Speaking to reporters after reviewing preparations for the 'Martyrs' Day' programme at Shahid Minar, Sarkar said Banerjee should recognise the historical significance of the July 21, 1993 movement instead of "attempting to rewrite its legacy".

"If Mamata Banerjee really has the courage, she should not distort history. She should admit that she took a wrong political decision in the past. She is welcome to come to our programme at Shahid Minar and pay tribute to the martyrs," he said.

Sarkar asserted that the July 21, 1993 movement was organised under the banner of the Youth Congress and that its association with the Congress could not be erased.

"The movement of July 21, 1993 was held under the Youth Congress flag. That is a part of history, and there is no scope to deny it. A political leader who respects his or her own political past earns greater respect," he said.

The Congress leader said Banerjee's participation in the programme, coupled with an acknowledgement that quitting the Congress was a political error, would be a significant gesture.

"If she publicly says that leaving the Congress was a mistake and comes to the Shahid Minar stage to pay homage to the July 21 martyrs, it will be an important act of political atonement. It will at least show an effort to correct some of the mistakes of the past. The Congress stage is open to everyone, and she is free to come and pay her respects," Sarkar said.

On July 21, 1993, 13 people allegedly died in police firing on a Youth Congress rally led by Banerjee.

Banerjee, who left the Congress in December 1997 and formed the TMC, has been observing the day with mega rallies. The rallies had become a show of her party's organisational strength over the years, while the Congress continued to mark the day with comparatively low-key programmes.

With Banerjee losing power in the assembly polls, the situation has somewhat changed as her party fights rebellion on multiple fronts.

The rebel TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee is organising a separate observance of the anniversary near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Esplanade. On the other side, police have denied permission to the group loyal to the former Chief Minister to hold the programme in front of Victoria House, where it has been traditionally held, with the matter now pending in court. 

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