A 37-member Congress delegation made the demand before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while they met him at Raj Bhavan where the Prime Minister stayed for about three hours in the afternoon.

“We don’t want Article 356 but we have told the PM that the Centre should consider whether Article 355 could be applied to the state. However he did not make any comment,” said Manas Bhuniya, leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the state Assembly.

Congress delegates, meanwhile, told the Prime Minister: “It is embarrassing for us. Banerjee is the Railway Minister and she refrained from attending any of the functions attended by you. Not only this, she is also making public statements criticising many of the Central policies, though she is also part of the government.”

“Our alliance with the Trinamool Congress will remain intact but we feel embarrassed if a member of the coalition keeps on firing salvos at the Central government,” the CLP leader said.

The Prime Minister, however, refrained from making any comment.