The chairperson of the board of administrators (BoA) of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), Asok Bhattacharya, today made a U-turn and said he will not be attending an administrative meeting to be chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Uttarkanya, the government’s branch secretariat of north Bengal, here tomorrow.

Mr Bhattacharya had written to Miss Banerjee, seeking an appointment for discussions on matters related to Siliguri’s development. He had earlier said that he received a phone call from the Darjeeling district magistrate, inviting him to the administrative meeting for Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Cooch Behar districts. He also received an official invitation letter for the meeting yesterday, it is learnt.

This was for the first time Mr Bhattacharya was invited in such a meeting here in the last five years.

“I had written to the chief minister, stating that I and some members of the BoA wanted to meet her to discuss development of Siliguri. The town faced discrimination for the past five years during the tenure of the previous elected Left-run board. I received a call from the district magistrate and also an official invitation letter for the administrative review meeting tomorrow. I would like to convey my thanks to the chief minister for inviting me. However, I will hardly get any scope to raise those issues in such a meeting. Therefore, there is no point in attending such a meeting,” Mr Bhattacharya said today. He also raised questions on the timing of the invitation.

“I had written several letters to her, seeking appointment during her previous visits to north Bengal, but she never responded. Then what could be the reason for inviting me in the meeting now?” Mr Bhattacharya said.

Party insiders said a section of party leaders were also against Mr Bhattacharya, who is also the Siliguri MLA, attending the meeting in view of the next elections.

“Trinamul Congress must have thought of coming closer to the Left to take on the BJP. A section of party leaders are of the opinion that it would not be respectable if Mr Bhattacharya attended such a meeting where he would not get scope to highlight issues. The sabhadhipati of the Left-run Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad Tapas Sarkar was not invited,” a party leader said.

Another camp, however, believed that he should have attended the meeting to raise whatever issues he can,” sources said.

The leader of the coordinators (Opposition) at the SMC, Ranjan Sarkar, on the other hand, said Mr Bhattacharya should attend the meeting.

“We wish he attends the meeting tomorrow. They have been accusing the state government of discrimination and non-cooperation with the Siliguri people. The chief minister will tell tomorrow what the government has done for Siliguri in the last five years,” said Mr Sarkar, who is also the Darjeeling district Trinamul Congress president.