Cong to contest civic polls alone
Accepting West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s challenge, the Congress on Saturday also announced its decision to go it alone in the panchayat polls. The decision was taken in the extended meeting of the state working committee of the party at Bidhan Bhavan.
Party MPs, MLAs, zila sabadhipatis, district party presidents and the PCC functionaries attended the meeting.
“The Congress is also ready to contest the polls on its own strength. This decision was taken unanimously in today’s meeting,” state Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya announced after the meeting which was held to chalk out the blueprint for the three-tier rural polls.
In a public rally on July 21, Ms Banerjee had announced her decision to dump the Congress for the panchayat election which she indicated would be held towards the end of the year — much ahead of its schedule in 2013.
“It does not make any difference for the Congress whether the polls are held on time or before time,” Mr Bhattacharya said.
Mr Bhattacharya, however, hastened to add that the Congress-Trinamul Congress alliance was not over.
“It will be not correct to say that the jot has collapsed. The alliance has been forged for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Rural and civic polls are outside the ambit of alliance,” he added.
The Congress leaders also voiced their apprehension that the panchayat polls may not be violence-free. Mr Bhattacharya recalled that in the past, the CPI(M) used to unleash terror against Congress workers. “They used to terrorise our workers so much so that the Congress was not able to field candidates in all seats. In short, the CPI(M) snatched our democratic rights,” he said.
Post new comment