Mamata Banerjee invites Congress to join her govt, Congress yet to decide

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday invited its ally Congress to join the new government to be headed by her in West Bengal.

Congress, however, is yet to take a decision on the Trinamool invite saying it will elicit the views of its newly-elected MLAs and PCC leaders on the issue on Sunday.

Banerjee, during a nearly 50-minute meeting with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee at his south Kolkata residence, proposed that Congress should join the ministry to be headed by her.

Emerging from the meeting, Banerjee told reporters that "we were a strong coalition and the assembly election result is a testimony to that. We will remain a strong coalition to form a good government".

Asked if Congress would join the Mamata-led government, Shakil Ahmed, incharge of Congress affairs in West Bengal, separately said "we will elicit the views of our newly-elected legislators on the issue tomorrow".

Ahmed and Mukherjee will hold talks with PCC leaders tomorrow morning on the proposal of joining the Mamata-led ministry.

Banerjee said she and Mukherjee would go to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi to invite them to the swearing in of the new government on a date which suits the convenience of the two top leaders.

Banerjee's aide and union minister Mukul Roy said the TC chief is going to Delhi tomorrow evening.

Banerjee, set to take over reins as chief minister, had yesterday said that she would like allies Congress and SUCI to join the Trinamool Congress-led ministry.