Mamata, Congress slugfest intensifies
TMC supremo challenges ally to quit her govt
The rift between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) – partners in the UPA at the Centre and the government in West Bengal – reached a flashpoint on Saturday as the former reacted sharply to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s remark daring it to leave the ministry.
Banerjee’s stinging remark came two days after the Congress dubbed her party ‘BJP stooge’ and ‘B-Team of CPM’. The TMC supremo came down heavily on its ally, saying the party was free to walk out of the alliance.
Though not willing to leave the ministry, the Congress sharply retorted that they were not bound to follow her orders.
Speaking to reporters here, Banerjee said: “The Congress is spreading canards and carrying out false propaganda against Trinamool Congress on the issue of assault on the principal of Raigunj University college on January 5 because we opposed FDI in retail, frequent petrol price hikes and total interference in federal structure.
Lokayukta was forcibly included in the Lokpal bill. They (Cong) had not paid heed to our words. Voting was not done on it,” Banerjee said.
“If the Congress wants to go with CPM, they can go. The door is open for them. But if Congress and CPM work together in the state, they won’t get Trinamool beside them,” an irked Mamata said.
State Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya refused to take the bait. “We will stay in the ministry, we are not going to leave it. We are there because of the blessings of the common man. We are not bound to follow her orders and fulfil her wishes as we are not her subjects,” he said.
Earlier, in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s comment that he was confident that “temporary problems” with the allies would be overcome, Banerjee said, “The Congress is afraid because we (Trinamool) have decided to fight in Uttar Pradesh (polls) and Manipur (polls). That is why they are so much worried and are carrying on these planted games”.
Alleging that the Congress was hand in glove with her political enemy, the CPM, Banerjee charged that a “small incident” of assaulting college principal Dilip De Sarkar at Raigunj in North Dinajpur district was blown out of proportion to malign her party.
Bhattacharya replied, “Congress is not afraid of anybody. It doesn’t make any sense that we will leave the ministry if she wants.”
The war of words started on Wednesday when the state Congress vehemently attacked Trinamool Congress for its anti-alliance activities at the Centre and taking a step-motherly attitude with the Congress at the state where they are also part of the coalition government.
“We are constantly called the B-team of CPM. But it is Trinamool which has been on the same boat with BJP on FDI in retail. They (Trinamool) along with BJP and Left opposed FDI in retail. On Lokpal bill too, the Trinamool MPs took the same line as (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury,” Congress MP Deepa Dasmunsi had said in meeting in central Kolkata on Wednesday.
“After so many instances, why can’t we call them B-team of Left and BJP when on each and every issue they are opposing the Congress at the Centre? They are the B-team of CPM and Left,” Dasmunsi had said.
Adding fuel to the fire, AICC general secretary in-charge of West Bengal Shakeel Ahmed hinted that they might contest the panchayat elections slated next year alone.
