Warner opens office in Panday's constituency Friday

Jack Warner is taking off the gloves in his fight with United Ntional Congress (UNC) leader Basdeo Panday and Panday's ally, Orlando Nagassar, deputy mayor of Chagunas.

And he has served notice that he will hold a public meeting in Panday's Couva Nolrth Constituency next Friday to answer recent accusations against him.

Warner spoke with the Trinidad Guardian from Nigeria, where he is holding meetings with government officials regarding an upcoming FIFA tournament.

The Chagunas West MP was reacting to Panday's meeting on Thursday with some residents of his constituency at the Chaguanas office of Nagassar. The people who met Panday told him they had recently lost their contracts with the borough and asked for his help.

Panday promised to write to Local Government Minister Hazel Manning about the matter, and he took the opportunity to slam Warner, saying Warner had deserted his constituents and is not looking after their interests.

Read the story: Panday meets Chaguanas West constsituents...

Warner claimed that Panday's meeting next door to the office of the new mayor was an attempt to make her "uncomfortable", although Natasha Navas told reporters she did not feel threatened by Panday's visit.

Warner told the Guardian he will go after Nagassar, adding that the deputy mayor would be "sorry he ever took on the mayor.”

He said both Nagassar and Panday "are trying to make her life miserable because of me! But I am telling them both - come after me directly!” he told the paper. Warner engineered the fall of Suruj Rambachan as mayor and elevated Navas to the post.

"I will answer Panday and Nagessar and all their accusations and actions when I speak from the platform in Couva North next Friday night - Nagessar will regret he ever attacked the young lady."

Warner also plans to talk about the UNC executive's decision to send his Parliamentary colleagues Ramesh L. Maharaj and Winston "Gypsy" Peters before the party’s disciplinary committee.

"All Panday is trying to do is use the old divide-and-conquer strategy—that’s clear. It ent go work,” Warner said.

Maharaj has said he is not perturbed over the decision (read the story) but Peters told the Guardian if Panday remains as UNC leader he might resign and join another party. He didn't say which one.

Panday is ready for the battle ahead. He told the Guardian, "I feel very good about Warner’s impending visit to Couva North. We'll be waiting on them and we’ll be ready."

He added, "I’m particularly glad that for once he’ll be in the country for a change. And I have every intention of returning to the Chaguanas deputy mayor’s office next Thursday to continue meeting Chaguanas West constituents."

The UNC has summoned Warner to a meeting with the national executive next week to answer more than a dozen charges against him, including allegations that he violated party rules and voted with the People's National Movement (PNM) and that he brought the party into disrepute through various actions and public statements.

Warner has told the party he will not attend unless the UNC complies with his request to provide him in advance with full details of all the charges so he could pass them to his lawyers to prepare a proper defence, which would include cross examination of his accusers.