New Delhi, July 10: L.K. Advani was effusive about Mamata Banerjee at a BJP event today to mark the birth anniversary of Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee in Calcutta.

The BJP senior leader, who chairs the NDA parliamentary party, recalled Mamata’s association with the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“Mamataji has worked with us in Vajpayeeji’s government (as railway minister). I admire her total commitment to the welfare of the common people,” he said and wished her well in her “onerous task of rebuilding a broken administration, reuniting a divided society and regaining the old glory of Bengal in economy, education and all spheres of development”.

Advani started his speech with a paean to Mamata and congratulated her for leading a movement that catalysed into a “mini-revolution through the ballot box”.