Cong leaders for understanding with Trinamool in WB

Cong leaders for understanding with Trinamool in WB
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

KOLKATA, JAN 21: A section of state Congress leaders is making move to have tacit understanding with Trinamool Congress for the ensuing Assembly poll in West Bengal despite TC Chief Mamata Banerjee's recent announcement that her party will contest the coming election in alliance with the BJP.

Insiders in the WBPCC here said that those who were eager to have some understanding with the Trinamool Congress belonged to the camp of former state Congress President A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury who favoured proposed `mahajot' (grand alliance) comprising TC, Congress and BJP to oust the CPI-M-led ruling Left Front.

WBPCC President Pranab Mukherjee has however made it clear on a number of occasions that his party was keen on entering into an alliance with Trinamool to defeat the Left Front, but such alliance could be formed without BJP.

Those who were for a `mahajot' said that the party high command might have some compulsion for not joining a grand alliance with BJP as a partner, directly or indirectly, but the grassroot workers desperately wanted `mahajot'.

Chief whip of Congress Legislature Party Abdul Mannan, a camp follower of Ghani Khan Chowdhury said, ``Our target should be to emerge as a number one party in the ensuing election. But if we cannot become number one, our attempt should be to prevent CPI-M to emerge as a number one''.

Another prominent Congress leader, who preferred anonymity, said that his party should not put up candidates against Trinamool Congress to facilitate the victory of the CPI-M.

Sources in the state Congress admitted that the party was caught in a dilemma regarding entering into any alliance with Trinamool Congress.

The sources also did not rule out further exodus of party MLAs to Trinamool Congress before the coming assembly poll to be held in a few months time. Over a dozen prominent Congress legislators including Pankaj Banerjee, Subrata Mukherjee, Ambica Banerjee had defected to Trinamool Congress.

Pankaj Banerjee was now the Chairman of Trinamool Congress policy-making body while Mukherjee was rewarded with the post of City Mayor.

Political observers feel that the Trinamool Congress Chief might announce the names of those Congress MLAs who switched over sides as her party candidates for the assembly election next month to lure away those in the Congress who favoured `mahajot'.

They said that keeping this mind, Banerjee wanted to chalk out a common minimum programme with BJP which would not include any controversial issue. She also did not initiate the process of seat sharing with BJP to accomodate those Congress legislators who might cross over, the observers say.

Trinamool Congress sources said that Banerjee was sore with Congress which refused to support her demand for the imposition of President's rule in the state and announced her decision to fight the assembly election in alliance with BJP.