No truck with TMC, WBPCC leaders tell Rahul

Though the fate of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) over electoral alliance with the Left Front hangs in balance, WBPCC leaders have univocally told Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi that they do not want any ties with the Trinamool Congress in the forthcoming Assembly elections. 

A Congress delegation led by PCC president Adhir Chowdhury met Gandhi at his residence in New Delhi on Monday morning. The other leaders Pradip Bhattacharya, Somen Mitra, Abdul Mannan, Om Prakash Misra, Manas Bhuniya, Dipa Das Munshi and Mousum Nur were also present at the meeting.  

The leaders expressed happiness over Gandhi’s statement that under no circumstances the interest of PCC would be sacrificed and he would speak to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi before taking any decision in the matter. 

Chowdhury said people of West Bengal wanted an alliance with the Left Front to end Trinamool rule.  He said all the leaders had expressed their views. “We had expressed our views to Gandhi and expect a positive response from the Congress high command. CP Joshi was also present at the meeting.” 

Misra said, “It is possible to oust the Trinamool Congress if there is alliance. Once we receive clearance from the high command, we will sit with Left Front leaders to find out the modalities.”

Abdul Mannan said, “It will be people’s alliance and this is the need of the hour.”

Though Monday’s meeting has raised some hope among the Left Front leaders in West Bengal who believe that it would bring good to both the parties, a senior CPI(M) leader said it would be difficult to get nod of the party’s central committee  where there are more members from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu than West Bengal. 

Moreover, there is Assembly elections in Kerala where the Left expects to come to power by defeating the Congress. “Under such a situation, making political alliance with the Congress in West Bengal would affect the party’s poll prospect in Kerala. Moreover, it will be difficult to get support of the Forward Bloc and CPI leaders as they are opposing alliance.” He further said the rank and file of both the parties will not be able to accept the alliance and ultimately the Trinamool Congress will be benefited.

He maintained that it was often said politics make strange bedfellows but political alliance with a rightist party that had been the arch rival since the raising of the party in the 1920s would be difficult to accept. However, now the ball is in high command’s court and the leaders will have to wait for a couple of days to get a concrete reply.