Congress ties with allies in poll-bound states tense

Congress’ relationship with allies Trinamool and DMK is being tested ahead of next year’s assembly elections in Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Trinamool chief and railway minister Mamata Banerjee has always been a tough nut to crack. She has sensed that her party has an upper hand in the alliance and has begun setting tougher conditions for Congress.

Keshava Rao, in-charge of Congress affairs in West Bengal, however, played it down.

“We should not go by the daily statements that appear in the media. All her [Mamata’s] statements are usually made in the context of a place and time, and if you start reading these from a different perspective you can get the big picture wrong,” he said.

Rao asserted nothing would rock the Congress-Trinamool alliance. “There may be differences, but the larger goal of ending the three-decade-old Communist rule binds us,” he said.

On Banerjee’s statement that she would quit if she failed to prove the misuse of central forces by the Left government, Rao said he would be glad if the Trinamool  proved the charge.

“This shall only reinforce our criticism of the Left government,” he said.

The situation in Tamil Nadu, however, is improving for Congress. For the first time in its long relationship with DMK, it has an edge, courtesy the 2G spectrum scam.

“Now, they need us more than we need them. This alliance shall continue because basically we have no option at this stage, although the terms of engagement may be renegotiated,” a senior party MP said.

The situation may change after the elections, though. “In Tamil Nadu, DMK would be back to its unyielding position after a good show,” the MP said.

Against this backdrop, Rahul Gandhi’s statement that some youth from Tamil Nadu would one day become a Congress chief minster assumes significance.