Cong not sure of hugging Mamata

In WB, party says it can fare well in LS polls without her support

KOLKATA: The Congress in West Bengal is split over entering into an alliance with the Trinamool Congress for the coming Lok Sabha elections.

One camp of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) says there is no need for an alliance with Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, as the Congress can do well in the state on its own.

The camp argues that in the recent municipal elections in Bengal, the Congress performed “exceedingly well” and won Behrampore and Krishnagarh seats. Even in Howrah, where the Left Front won, the Congress came second, pushing Mamata to the third slot.

Congress Lok Sabha member from Behrampore, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who led the party and helped it win all the 25 seats in the Behrampore municipality, also says a tie-up with Trinamool is unnecessary. Chowdhury, who is considered close to Union external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, says the Congress’ place as an alternative to the Left Front is way ahead of any other political party in the state. “Moreover, the party’s [Congress] credibility as an anti-communalism party is much higher than that of others,” he says.

The anti-alliance camp also argues that in the absence of WBPCC president Priya Ranjan Dasmushi, who is critically ill, the seat-sharing negotiations with Trinamool will be difficult. “In that case, Mamata will call the shots, which will be unacceptable to us,” they say.

However, the pro-alliance camp of the Congress says it is high time the party came out of the image of “CPI(M)’s B team” in West Bengal, which is possible only when the Congress enters into an agreement with Mamata who has established her credibility as an anti-Left force.
r_sumanta@dnaindia.net