Pranab should have telephoned Mamata: Trinamool

Hours after UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee said he was ready to talk to Mamata Banerjee when she is prepared to do so, Trinamool Congress on Monday said Mukherjee should have ascertained that by telephoning Banerjee himself.

"Pranab Mukherjee should know if Mamata Banerjee will talk to him or not and he should have telephoned her to ascertain that and this requires no mediator," Trinamool Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee told reporters.

''We had no invitation," he pointed out.

In an oblique reference to Mukherjee's meeting with MPs and MLAs of CPM and Forward Bloc in the assembly seeking their support for his candidature, Subrata, the panchayat minister, said "some people feel comfortable in the company of CPM."

To a question, he said Trinamool Congress had no candidate but A P J Kalam was its choice as the presidential candidate.

State urban development minister Firhad Hakim said "we had also fought election in the past and sought votes from all even from CPM knowing fully well it will not support."