A “courtesy” meeting among veteran CPM leader Asok Bhattacharya and two legislators of the BJP at the former’s house has again led to a sharp reaction from Trinamul in Siliguri.

Trinamul leaders, especially mayor Gautam Deb, have alleged that the meeting was “political” to weaken Trinamul in the region.

Left leaders accused Trinamul of making a mountain out of a molehill. On Monday, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh, and some other BJP leaders reached Bhattacharya’s house. “It was a courtesy meeting on Diwali, nothing else,” Bista said.

The meeting, however, has not gone down well with Trinamul, the party that faltered at the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Darjeeling district.

“It was a political meeting,” Trinamul leader Deb said.

“Some people who have turned irrelevant in politics are trying to keep themselves afloat.... We don’t know if he is trying to be an informal adviser to those who met him,” Deb said, without naming Bhattacharya.

Contacted, Bhattacharya said: “Everybody knows my political credentials. There is no point in reacting to baseless remarks.”

Sources said that during the meeting, BJP leaders and Bhattacharya discussed their disappointment at the Trinamul-led civic board.

‘Cracks’ in Hamro Party

Ajoy Edwards, president of the Hamro Party which managed to become a formidable Opposition in hill politics after more than 30 years, bid “farewell” to two of his party’s elected Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Sabha members.

Edwards took to social media on Tuesday night to allege that Pramaskar Blone and Bhupendra Chettri, GTA Sabha members from Ghoom-Jorebunglow and Goke-Bijanbari, were leaving his party.

He insinuated that both would join the BGPM, which helms the GTA. Blone, a vice-president of the Hamro Party, did not take calls from this newspaper. Chettri said he was surprised by what Edwards had said about him.

Chettri added he would have to resign now.

Reporting by Vivek Chhetri