Mamata to meet Sharad Yadav, Pawar today

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will have a meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar and JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav here today, a development that is being seen with much significance in terms of a new political equation shaping up.

Banerjee, who arrived here today from Kolkata, will meet Pawar at his residence soon after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the evening, sources said. Yadav will also attend the meeting, the said.

Yesterday also, Pawar met the Trinamool Congress chief in her party's office inside Parliament House. Pawar was accompanied by his party colleagues Praful Patel and Tariq Anwar. 

Informing about the development after a dinner meeting with Kejriwal, Banerjee said if "we work together, our states will be stronger and our federal structure would be strong".

"Tomorrow we are meeting at Sharad Pawar's residence. I think Kejriwalji is going there and other party leaders are also expected to come like the Samajwadi Party and JD(U)," Mamata told reporters after the meeting with Kejriwal.

Asked about the meeting with Kejriwal, Mamata said both of them discussed a range of issues



including politics. She said the Delhi Chief Minister has also invited her to attend a seminar on cooperative federalism here on September 22. The invite has been extended to other Chief Ministers as well.

"When elections were held in Delhi and he had won in a massive majority, I had congratulated him that time. Today I met him and congratulated him for his success," she said.

Asked whether TMC supports AAP's ideology, Mamata said "every party has its own ideology and every person has his own style of functioning".

When asked about the possibility of joining hands with AAP, she said, "Let's hope for the best. There are so many common grounds for working together."

Noting that he was touched by her gesture and warm hospitality, Kejriwal said, "We have to fight together many battles. If we have to take the country ahead, they have to join hands."

"Mamataji is senior to me and I have to learn a lot from her. Her party is also advocating the cause of the poor in Bengal. In Delhi also we raised issues concerning the common man. There are so may common grounds between Mamata and AAP and we will work together," he said.