Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is scheduled to address a CITU rally at the Metro Channel on Thursday. The rally will culminate CITU’s three-day national conference of bidi workers currently being held at the Salt Lake Stadium. Besides the CM, CPM politburo member M K Pandhe is also scheduled to address the rally.

On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress has launched a five-day campaign against the “pathetic law and order situation in the state” which will end on January 2. The party is also set to organise a rally at the same venue on the same day.

Kali Ghosh, CITU state secretary, said it is the responsibility of the state administration to resolve the issue. “We had informed the police about our programme much earlier. There is no question of discussing the issue with Trinamool leaders. We hope the rule would be maintained,” said Ghosh.

The police have, meanwhile, asked the Trinamool to wrap up its programme by 5:30 pm on Wednesday. “CITU had informed the police about its programme in November, prior to the Trinamool plan,” said a senior officer of the Kolkata police.

Trinamool leader Madan Mitra, who is the key person for holding party programmes at the venue, said there is no question of the Trinamool wrapping up its programme early.

“Why will we wrap up? The police should ask CITU to shift its venue. There are many other places where the CM can hold the rally,” said Mitra.

Earlier in the day, Mitra had proposed a formula to resolve the issue, but the CITU rejected it, said a senior officer with the local police.

“The Trinamool offered that it will not hold the rally at the time the CM addresses the gathering. But they said that the stage erected by them (Trinamool) should not be dismantled as the party would use it to hold their ‘exhibition on statewide CPM terror’,” said the officer.