Mamata wants SP to dump Left

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Union minister Salman Khurshid and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot carry a chadar sent by Congress president Sonia Gandhi

“Dump Left first if you want to do business with us,” Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is learnt to have conveyed to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. While the SP has been pinning hopes on working relations with the Trinamul Congress on national issues, sources said the two parties are close to shunning each other, with Ms Banerjee’s aversion to Mr Yadav doing business with the likes of Mr Prakash Karat and Mr Sitaram Yechury.
Even though Ms Banerjee had stated that her party will jointly take a stand on the presidential election after an hour-long meeting with the SP chief in the national capital early this month, sources said that the sudden bonhomie has now lost its appeal for the West Bengal chief minister.
Sources within the Trinamul Congress also stated that the party would not like to align with non-UPA partners on the presidential elections, but would press hard for a bargain to get a financial bailout for West Bengal.
When asked that Ms Banerjee ignored finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s name while spelling out her preferences for the President’s post, a senior Trinamul Congress leader said that it was a deliberate move to put pressure on the Congress.
“Pranab (Mukherjee) is very much in the race. This much we know and our party will have no problem in backing him also. But we will like some concrete steps being taken by the Centre on the demands for financial package,” said the Trinamul Congress leader.
Even though NCP leader P.A. Sangma has sought time with Ms Banerjee in a bid to garner support for his candidature, the TMC Congress leaders rule out the possibility of supporting the tribal leader. “He (Mr Sangma) was with the TMC for a while and later quit the party. There is no chance for us to align with the BJD and the AIADMK in supporting Mr Sangma,” said the leader.
Trinamul Congress leader.
The apparent chill between the Trinamul Congress and SP is likely to give a much-needed breather to the Congress in making a decision on the official name for the post of President.