No decision yet on ‘alliance’ with Congress for Lok Sabha elections: Trinamool

Kolkata: Even as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) expressed its satisfaction over BJP’s poll debacle in Karnataka at the hands of Congress, the party said that no decision has been taken yet concerning any alliance with the latter for the upcoming Parliamentary elections while also differentiating between Congress’ Karnataka and Bengal unit.

The ruling dispensation in Bengal although lauded the efforts of the Congress in Karnataka for defeating the BJP, it minced no words in expressing that this does not indicate that the TMC at this moment is thinking of any alliance with India’s ‘grand old party’.

Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “No decision has been made yet on that account. Such a call will be taken by our party’s top leaders. Our party chairperson Mamata Banerjee has always emphasised No vote to BJP and had predicted that the saffron party’s downfall will begin in Karnataka. The poll results proved that her

prediction was accurate.”

Earlier, responding to media queries concerning TMC’s intentions to tie up with Congress for Lok Sabha polls, the party had made it clear that TMC is looking ahead to form alliances with regional parties instead.

It had said that Congress must put up a tough fight in states where it has a strong base but must stop acting as the ‘big boss of the Opposition’.

The party had also clarified that one of the possible reasons for not wanting to shake hands with Congress is because the latter’s Bengal unit has been attacking TMC in alliance with BJP and CPI(M). TMC also sought to draw a line of distinction between the Bengal unit of Congress and the one in Karnataka.

Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “Just because TMC is happy about the BJP’s defeat in Karnataka at the hands of Congress, it does not, however, mean that we approve of the activities of the Bengal unit of the Congress led by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. In Bengal, the Congress is in cahoots with the BJP and the CPI(M). Also, no one from the Bengal unit of Congress was allowed to campaign by their party in the Karnataka polls, not even Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. In Bengal, Congress scored zero in the Assembly elections which shows its position in Bengal.”