Old Didi loyalist Hakim sets off buzz with Ritabrata meet

Kolkata: Former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim spent 70 minutes with ‘expelled' Trinamool MLA and leader of opposition (LoP) Ritabrata Banerjee in the assembly on Monday, and stepped out to claim that he wanted "the party to remain one". The meeting came on a day party senior Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay moved Calcutta High Court questioning speaker Rathindra Bose's decision to appoint Ritabrata as LoP instead of him, the official choice for the post.A staunch Mamata Banerjee loyalist, Hakim managed to retain his Kolkata Port seat by a huge margin in the just concluded assembly elections. And, unlike many other Trinamool seniors, he has not openly criticised the party leadership but attended all post-poll meetings convened by the Trinamool chairperson. He, however, resigned as Kolkata mayor on Friday. On Monday, he reached the assembly and went to Ritabrata's chamber around 2.40 pm. He was joined by Sandipan Saha, another rebel Trinamool MLA."I had come only to have a chat. I want Trinamool to remain one," Hakim said as he left Ritabrata Banerjee's room at around 3.50pm.Significantly, Trinamool's Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh was also in the assembly around the same time. While stepping out, Hakim and Ghosh held a brief discussion. Ghosh refused to comment on what transpired between the two.Sandipan Saha, who was seen accompanying Hakim as he stepped out, has always been known in Trinamool circles as a Hakim protégé, particularly after he was appointed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation MMIC (Education). Saha had earlier indicated that a "few big names" would also join the rebel bloc.Later, Ritabrata said he had a long conversation with Hakim. "I have known him since 1998, when I was in my first year of college. I will not disclose right now what discussions took place between us, but we talked for a very long time," he said, further fuelling speculation over Hakim's next move.BJP's Maniktala MLA Tapas Roy, who has been sworn in as a cabinet minister, was also present in the assembly and met Hakim. "I cannot turn away if I meet an old colleagues in the assembly," he said. Roy predicted that Trinamool would soon disintegrate as a party and "the sooner it disappears, the better".Meanwhile, Calcutta High Court is likely to hear the plea challenging Ritabrata's appointment as LoP on June 11. The matter was mentioned on Monday by advocate Sirsanya Banerjee.