Cong and Left leaders to join Castro's birthday bash

NEW DELHI: Several top Left and Congress leaders are expected to attend the 80th birthday celebrations of Cuban President Fidel Castro being held in Havana from November 28 to December 2.

AICC General Secretary Margaret Alva deputed  by party chief Sonia Gandhi to represent her at the celebrations in which CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and his CPI counterpart A B Bardhan are likely to join.

The celebrations in Havana were scheduled to be held in August but were delayed due to Castro's illness.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while in Havana in September to attend the NAM summit, had called on the Cuban leader at the hospital where he was being treated.

In a gesture towards India, the icon of the Left movement in Latin America, had then met only a handful of world leaders, including Singh.

During his meeting with Singh, Castro had recalled his meeting with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the Delhi NAM Summit in 1982.