Even as Mamata Banerjee asked her state ally Congress to leave her government last weekend, her party leaders almost followed suit today in Kolkata in a show of strength.
Even as Mamata Banerjee asked her state ally Congress to leave her government last weekend, her party leaders almost followed suit today in Kolkata in a show of strength.
The Congress high command, according to party sources, advised the state leaders to opt for dialogue to bridge the gulf. Reacting to Banerjee’s threat, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President (WBPCC), Pradip Bhattacharya said, “We are not thinking in terms of leaving the government for which people had given us a mandate.”
Speaking to DNA, a very senior leader said, “It’s a difficult time, and we are asked to bridge the gulf instead of widening it.”
While the present tension between allies brings hope in the CPI(M) camp, Banerjee is also known for her temperament. However, Central Congress leader and minister Salman Kurshid told the media, “the problems with Trinamool could be solved and neither of us lacks the ability for communication.”
This could essentially signal the end of Congress rebellion, which Mamata attributed to her opposition to the government policy of frequent hike in petrol prices, to FDI in retail and lastly to the inclusion of Lokayukta to the Lokpal bill.
“Though her stand soiled our image nationally, the government would not like to take any risk before the outcome of poll results in the states going to election soon,” admitted a very senior Congress leader here. “Further escalation would send a bad message for other allies and electorates too,” he said.
Interestingly, the heart of Mamata’s bitterness towards the Congress lay in her getting no substantial financial aid to battle bankruptcy.
Speaking to this reporter, a Trinamool Congress minister said, “We expected Congress to put pressure on Congress-led UPA to financially help the government, instead they joined the CPI(M) on the issue of so-called farmers’ suicides without any talks with government and on an issue like setting up a research centre at Indira Bhawan at Salt Lake.”
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