In an apparent rebuke to party leaders on the alliance with Trinamool Congress, West Bengal Congress chief Pranab Mukherjee today said it was first necessary for the party to strengthen its base in the state to command honour and respect.
"Honour and respect comes when one has the strength to command it. One will give respect when he finds it will land him in trouble if he ignores me. Therefore, the party has to strengthen itself to command respect and honour in the state," Mukherjee told a convention of the Congress' women wing here.
Mukherjee, however, made it clear that the Congress should be treated with respect by the Trinamool Congress as "relations among different parties are built on the basis of honour and respect."
The comment comes at a time when Trinamool Congress has been accused by a section of the senior state Congress leaders of ignoring claims and staking claim to all prized seats in the last Lok Sabha election and subsequent by-elections.
Congress MP Deepa Dasmunshi, wife of former union minister PR Dasmunshi, and Nadia District Congress president Shankar Singh have been vocal about the Trinamool Congress denying the party its due share.
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