TMC to go it alone in panchayat polls

Hinting at quitting the alliance if proper respect is not shown, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Trinamool Congress will contest the ensuing panchayat election in the state alone.

 Threatening the Centre with dire consequences, Banerjee said on Saturday: “We are with the UPA government and will be with them only if we are treated with respect and dignity”.

Hinting at the recent central sanctions to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Banerjee said: “We are not asking for any Central grants. We have only asked for moratorium on loan repayment. It is our due and I will snatch my rights from the Centre. We have 28 lawmakers in Parliament and 186 MLAs. We will go to the PM with all our lawmakers and demand our rights if requests fail,” she said.

Addressing a huge rally at central Kolkata on Saturday to mark the killing of 13 Youth Congress activists in 1993, Banerjee said: “We are self sufficient and capable of going it alone in the state. We will fight alone in Bengal.”

Hinting that the panchayat polls scheduled next year may be advanced, Banerjee said: “We may have panchayat polls just after the Durga Puja.”

Banerjee also mentioned that the state has a proper environment for investment and the growth rate of the state is better than the national growth rate. “Many people say our state does not have a proper atmosphere for investment and industries. It is not true. In the last one year, we have managed to have investments worth Rs 1 lakh crore,” she said.

“We are having a growth rate which is currently higher than the national growth rate. When the national growth rate in 2011-12 is 14.3 per cent, our state has a growth rate of 15.1 per cent,” she added.

Announcing withdrawal of her party's candidates from the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) election, Banerjee said: “The Trinamool Congress was contesting in 17 seats but we decided to withdraw now because the interest of the hills is more important than the interest of the party.”