CALCUTTA, AUG 8: Congress rebel Mamata Banerjee remained adamant today on holding a parallel rally tomorrow to coincide with the Congress plenary session. And if that resulted in an expulsion from the party, she declared, ``I would welcome it.'' To add salt to the Congress' wounds, Mamata hinted she might even announce a committee -- ``sort of a parallel PCC'' -- at the rally. The names for the panel would be finalised by today evening.

Her party, of course, has learnt these are not empty boasts. Previous experience proves Mamata's crowd-pulling prowess, and she is expected to be in her elements tomorrow. ``We are the real Congress with grass-roots links. So we don't bother what a handful of people think about us,'' Mamata said today.

She also dismissed Congress president Sitaram Kesri's claim about launching a war against the Communists. ``We'll expose tomorrow who is the real friend of the CPI(M). You should know that a few people sitting inside the Netaji Indoor Stadium and presiding over the wordy resolutions are its real friends and none else,'' she said.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.