Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced her itinerary covering some north and central Bengal districts next week around the same time as Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, revealing her unwillingness to leave any unhindered political scope for the Congress leader to drum up support in the state amid uncertainty over their seat-sharing in the INDIA bloc.

The Trinamul Congress chief’s statement came hours after yet another round of mollification attempts from the Congress high command by way of statements lauding her.

Mamata, during a state government event at the Dhono Dhanyo auditorium here to honour achievers in sports, announced the itinerary in her brief address.

“I should tell all of you that I am having to prepare a north Bengal tour again. Work goes on. Although we were ready with this (itinerary) 15 days ago, we are able to announce the programme three-four days ago,” said the Bengal chief minister.

“I will go from here to Hasimara (Alipurduar) on January 28 (Sunday). From there, we will go to Cooch Behar on January 29, where we have a programme. We will come back from there to Uttar Kanya (the north Bengal branch secretariat in Siliguri). There, a patta distribution is scheduled, for Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar,” she said, a day after all but ruling out an alliance with the Congress in Bengal for the general election, while reaffirming her pledge as a secular force willing to do anything to defeat the BJP.

Rahul’s Yatra, which entered Bengal’s Cooch Behar from Assam on Thursday, was abruptly put on hold as the Wayanad MP left for an unscheduled visit to Delhi. The Congress said he would be back on Sunday to resume the Yatra, to go through Alipurduar, North Dinajpur and Darjeeling, before entering Bihar on Monday. Re-entering Bengal through Malda on January 31, the Yatra is scheduled
to pass through Murshidabad on February 1, before departing the state on the following day.

Although the Congress’s state unit formally insisted there were no changes on the radar, sources said there was some degree of uncertainty and the route could be shortened.

After the Uttar Kanya event, Mamata said she would go to Raiganj in North Dinajpur on January 31 and Balurghat in South Dinajpur on February 1. In both the Dinajpurs, she will conduct public distribution programmes.

“Thereafter, I will go to Malda, have a programme there. After Malda, I will go to Murshidabad. From the Murshidabad programme, I will go to Krishnanagar (in Nadia). Therefore, between January 28 and February 1 or 2, I will have programmes continuously,” she said.

The chief minister underscored board exam considerations, apparently in response to allegations of administrative non-cooperation from the Congress in Bengal, with regard to clearances for the Yatra, which has purportedly not gone down well with Rahul.

“Because the exams are beginning from February 2, from January 30, there can be no microphones used outdoors. We will have indoor programmes only, using (sound) boxes, and after the exam hours,” said Mamata.

“We will abide by the law. We are not conducting any rallies, mind you. One cannot conduct rallies in the exam season, nor use mics, or do things outdoors,” she added.

A Trinamul MP said it was clear from her route that she wanted to simultaneously cover the ground along Rahul’s route in a strategic move.

“This route and her rather unusual announcement of it at the sports event was essentially her sending out a message. This shows she does not want to vacate the field for Rahul and his Yatra, to which we haven’t even been invited, although the CPM state secretary (Md. Salim) was accorded the honour,” said the MP.

Contrary to Mamata’s denial, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said she had been invited by Kharge.

“No, no, she was invited. (Congress president Mallikarjun) Khargeji had written a letter to her, had also sent her an email,” said Ramesh.

“We especially want the chief minister herself to come, even if that’s for 10-15 minutes. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will have more impact,” he said, reiterating the Congress’s respect for her.

But the Congress’s chief spokesperson for Bengal, Soumya Aich Roy, said counter-events to the Yatra were expected from the BJP, wondering why Mamata felt compelled to conduct them.

“Counter-rallies, denial of permissions, administrative and political non-cooperation were expected from the BJP. Why does Mamata feel compelled to accord this discourtesy to her INDIA partner?” asked Aich Roy.

“This shows, yet again, that her priorities are not very different from that of the BJP.”

On behalf of the Congress high command, Ramesh admitted Trinamul’s place in Bengal’s electoral politics, among the INDIA partners.

“We are aware that Trinamul is supreme in the Bengal political arena today. If the BJP has to be defeated, Trinamul’s presence is imperative,” he said.

Ramesh went on to hail Trinamul as a “crucial pillar” of INDIA, and acknowledged Mamata as a major leader with national recognition.