Will Ranaghat tiff jolt Cong-TMC tieup?
Krishnanagar, Feb. 15: Is the scar of Ranaghat all set to put a blot on the alliance between the Congress and Trinamul Congress?
At least, the gestures of a section of the state Congress indicates so. They have claimed that the alliance would face severe jolt if the 16 former party councillors, including chairman Patha Chatterjee, who betrayed the Congress and joined Trinamul Congress are nominated for the civic poll by their party chief Mamata Banerjee. On the other hand, Trinamul Congress MP and minister of state for urban development Sougata Roy in Ranaghat indicated on Monday that Mr Chatterjee would be nominated.
The rift between the prospective poll partners has, meanwhile, made the CPI(M) elated as they expect the controversy to be a boon in disguise for them.
The contention broke out in October 2009 after 16 Congress councillors left the party blaming its core committee member Sankar Singh of masterminding a plan to gain strategic support of the Left councillors in the mayoral selection of Siliguri Municipal Corporation. This made the Congress lose the board.
Mr Singh, however, on October 21 set the terms for the alliance, saying: "The Congress would not accept any traitors." He still stands on that point till date. "I shall definitely oppose if any of those 16 are imposed on us in the name of jot. I want alliance with the Trinamul Congress but with appropriate dignity," Mr Singh said.
His loyalists claimed that WBPCC president Pranab Mukherjee is also convinced that any more sacrifice for the alliance would be suicidal for the party.
SUBHASISH CHAUDHURI
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