Trinamool, Cong share uneasy ties in Bengal

The seamless anti-Left duet sung by Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee and home minister P Chidambaram in Delhi disguises the uneasy relationship between the two parties in West Bengal.

The disguise wears thin when one looks at the recently held byelections, where Trinamool trounced not just the Left, but any claims the Congress may have of being a party of equal stature in the state.

The defeat of the Congress by Trinamool in Goalpukur was particularly painful for Congress. “Deepa Das Munsi, wife of ailing Congress leader Priya Ranjan Das Munsi, used to earlier represent Goalpukur,” said a Congress leader. “Trinamool thinks Deepa kept the party out of Siliguri by bringing together the Congress and CPI(M). Therefore, this victory is meaningful,” said the source.

One Trinamool leader said they want the Congress to keep its nose out of Bengal and “this is why we didn’t object to the Centre’s PSU disinvestment plan”. “As a trade-off, they should leave us alone in Bengal,” he said.