Putting a lid on speculation over the impact of Abhishek Banerjee’s absence from the newly formed INDIA bloc’s first meeting of the coordination committee and the Trinamul Congress deciding to not send in a replacement, the party claimed that rhe decision to go ahead with the meet without Banerjee was taken jointly by all constituents of the bloc.

“We have duly communicated our position to all members of the bloc,” a senior Trinamul MP said, “and everyone has understood and agreed on this.”

The leader’s comment seemed vindicated by the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction leader Sanjay Raut who, while speaking on behalf of the bloc ahead of the scheduled meeting at NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence in Delhi, announced the alliance’s decision to keep Banerjee’s chair vacant at the meeting as a mark of solidarity.

“We will deliberate upon the agenda fixed during the Mumbai conclave of the bloc. All of us would be present at the meeting except Trinamul Congress. Trinamul leader Abhishek Banerjee is a member of this committee. I have spoken to leaders of his party and realize that he cannot attend the meeting because the ED, BJP and the central government doesn’t want him to,” Raut told news agency ANI.

“They don’t want him to reach Delhi and take part in the coordination committee meeting of the INDIA alliance. The ED has specifically chosen this day to send him an appearance summons. We have told him that we will keep your chair vacant and send out a message to this country on how central agencies are torturing members of our alliance. But we will not cow down before them," Raut said.

Senior Trinamul leaders agreed on the messaging bit. Asked why Banerjee chose to skip the meet and face the ED quiz when he could have asked for a postponement, like he has done before, a leader said: “It was a political choice that was exercised. The message that needed to be given from this absence, on how the central agencies are made to serve as a political tool of the ruling dispensation, was an important one.”

Asked whether that message was more important that the agenda set at the meeting where contentious issues like seat sharing arrangement are likely to be taken up, an issue which the Trimanul itself was reportedly keen to take up without further ado at the Mumbai conclave, the leader said: “Of course, it is. None of this happened without prior discussions with our allies.”

Could the option of sending a representative not have been exercised? “The question doesn’t arise. The weight of the committee cannot be diluted in any manner,” the leader said.

Besides Banerjee, another missing head from the 14-member coordination committee during its first meeting would be from the CPI-M. “The CPM is yet to appoint its nominee (to the committee). They will take their time. But I am there from the CPI party. That way I will be representing the entire Left and I don’t think that my Left colleagues will have any objection to that,” D Raja, CPI general secretary, told ANI.

“In the Mumbai meeting, we discussed issues adequately. Now the time has come we should go to the people, mobilize them. For this, we should organize public rallies, public meetings on specific issues in different parts of the country,” Raja added. “Elections in various states are knocking at the door and already there are formal and informal talks on seat sharing. This is the first meeting, and we will discuss these issues.”