Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s plans for a national-level political alliance might face several hurdles before implementation
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s plans for a national-level political alliance might face several hurdles before implementation following objections from her naxalite associates who backed her throughout the anti-Singur plant agitation.
Keeping the coming Lok Sabha elections and the minority vote bank in mind, Mamata is now keen to cementing a political alliance with the Congress at the national level, and Amar Singh’s Samajwadi Party (SP) could be the key medium towards this end.
However, highly placed Trinamool sources say Mamata’s naxalite confidants want her to go alone in the elections. “We had successive meetings with naxalite leaders who were in the forefront with us during the Singur movement. They have clearly told us if Trinamool expects their organisational support in the coming Lok Sabha elections, like they gave in Singur, we have to maintain equal distance with both the Congress and BJP. They clearly want Trinamool to concentrate on state-specific issues rather than be a part of any national alliance,” a senior Trinamool MLA told DNA on condition of anonymity.
He added that naxalites are not in-principle against any association with the SP if the latter does not officially have any connections either with the Congress-led UPA or the BJP-led NDA. The Suci and PDS, two other important associates of Mamata in her Singur venture, too want her to concentrate on land issues in Bengal in the Lok Sabha elections rather than attempt any national-alliance.
Political analysts say Mamata’s fate was sealed the day she accepted naxalite assistance in the Singur issue. “These naxalite leaders do not have any kind of democratic compulsion be it at the state-level or at the Centre. They just want their strong footing in Bengal anyhow and in this attempt the Trinamool was their ideal medium. Their organisational support to Mamata’s land-row movement was never unconditional. So it is natural that Mamata will now face difficulty in coming out of their support trap.
Naxalites would never want Mamata to be a part of any national-level alliance where they won’t be able to call the shots,” a senior political analyst here said.
He said it was similar story at work with the Suci and PDS, who are now trying to gain a footing in Bengal using Trinamool as the ladder.
r_sumanta@dnaindia.net
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