West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dared the party to leave the alliance in the state for allegedly working in tandem with CPI(M).
In an escalation of the standoff with Congress, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today dared the party to leave the alliance in the state for allegedly working in tandem with CPI(M) and hatching a conspiracy to defame Trinamool Congress.
While the PCC said the party is not pulling out of the Trinamool-led coalition in the state, Congress' central leadership asked Trinamool Congress not to react "over-aggressively and in a provocative atmosphere".
"Congress and CPI(M)are working together. If Congress thinks they will go with CPI(M), the door is open. They may leave. If Congress works in tandem with CPI(M), they will not get TC", said Banerjee.
"Congress interfered with federal structure. Lokayukta was forcibly included in the Lokpal bill. They did not pay any heed to our concern. Voting was not done on it," Mamata told reporters here.
"Congress is worried as we are contesting the Manipur and UP polls. The party is spreading canard against Trinamool Congress because we opposed FDI in retail, pension bill, coal and petroleum price hike," she said.
Alleging that conspiracies were hatched to defame her party, Banerjee said "I have fought alone in Singur and Nandigram and also while opposing Netai massacre. I can go alone."
Reacting to Banerjee's statement, West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Pradip Bhattacharya said Congress would not quit the ministry in the state "as long as people desire".
"We are not in the ministry to satisfy anyone's will. We are there to fulfil people's wishes", he said. Banerjee alleged Congress was spreading canard and a false propaganda against TC on the assault of the principal of a college over students union election at Raigunj on January 5.
Describing the incident as "unfortunate", she said "sometime young people commit mistake. Those who had assaulted the principal will be arrested. We are taking whatever action is required."
She alleged the "small incident" was "purposefully blown out of proportion to malign Trinamool Congress", Banerjee charged.
Referring to Banerjee's statement that Congress was free to quit, WBPCC President Pradip Bhattacharya said "what she has said is very clear to us. We are not here at anyone's mercy."
"We are not in the ministry to satisfy anyone's will, but we are there to fulfil people's wishes," Bhattacharya told PTI.
He said Congress and Trinamool Congress had fought the last May Assembly elections together and the latter benefited from it. "Trinamool Congress has also got thousands of Congress votes in seats where it won."
"We will remain in the ministry as long as the people desires," he said.
In New Delhi, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi asked TC to exercise restraint and downplayed the differences.
"These things do happen in a coalition arrangement. We urge all the concerned stake holders not to react over-aggressively and in a provocative atmosphere," he said.
Maintaining that disagreements are part of the coalition arrangement, he said "these things are eventually sorted out as long as the allies consider the coalition valuable."
The soured relations between TC and Congress had touched a new low earlier this week as Congress protested the state government's move to rename a guest house named after Indira Gandhi.
While Congress is dependent on its allies to run the UPA government at the Centre, Trinamool Congress has 185 MLAs in the 294-member state assembly and does not need Congress backing for majority.
Congress with 42 legislators has two cabinet ministers and five ministers of state in Mamata Banerjee government.
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