West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee on January 24 ruled out any alliance with the Congress in the State for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
“I had no discussions with the Congress party or anyone else. We had given a proposal which they refused from the start. Since then, our party has decided that we will fight alone in West Bengal,” Ms. Banerjee told mediapersons.
The chairperson also expressed her displeasure that the Congress had not informed her that its ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ would enter the State.
“Even as a matter of courtesy they didn’t tell that they are coming to my State. I am part of INDIA alliance,” she said. The Congress yatra is scheduled to enter West Bengal on January 25. Ms. Banerjee said that her party was a secular party, she would decide her next course after the elections. “At the all India level what we will do, we will think after elections. We are secular party and will do anything to defeat the BJP,” Trinamool Congress chairperson said.
The Chief Minister’s remarks come a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that his party was in talks with the TMC over seat-sharing in West Bengal. Mr. Gandhi has said that he has good relations with the TMC chairperson. Over the past few weeks leaders of the Congress and the TMC have been targeting each other. While the TMC has accused the Congress of unrealistic bargaining the Congress has said that the TMC needs the Congress more in the elections.
Cong. can contest 300 seats and leave the rest, says Mamata
The TMC leadership has offered two seats to the Congress while Congress State leadership was insisting on six. The Congress has two MPs elected from Baharampur and Malda Dakshin. West Bengal sends 42 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
Asked whether she will be part of the INDIA alliance, Ms. Banerjee said that the alliance is not of one party. “The regional parties we will be all together. We have said they [Congress] should fight alone in 300 seats and leave the remaining to regional parties where they should not interfere. If they interfere in the remaining seats then we will think otherwise,” Ms. Banerjee said.
Reacting to remarks by the TMC chairperson, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh expressed hope that some way would emerge after discussion. Mr. Ramesh described the Chief Minister as a respected leader and said that Congress leaders such as Sonia Gandhi and president Mallikarjun Kharge have good ties with the Trinamool chairperson.
