12-09-2005, 03:02 AM
Mamta Banerjee is not a congress party member, her party is Trinamul Congress. She is more likely to run the elections with BJP and NDA than with congress.
Although in Bengal, CPI(M) can be put in trouble if Trinamul, BJP and Congress gang up together. But that is very unlikely to happen.
NDA victory in Bihar has revived the spirits of old NDA partners like Mamta Banerjee and CB Naidu and Akalis. Even Asom Gana Parisad sounds like it will become an NDA parter.
Mamata hands it to lotus<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Once bitten - read backstabbed - in 2001 twice cautious, Nationalist Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee prefers BJP to a "less reliable" Congress if given a choice to choose between the two.
The firebrand leader is known to have made her feeling clear to the State BJP chief Tathagato Roy in a one-on-one meeting, both BJP and the NTC sources conceded.
The Trinamool chief who has recently made some advances at the Congress apparently to keep the Opposition votes from splitting has said that she would not risk a repetition of 2001 drama when the Congress allegedly struck an alliance with the NTC before stabbing it in the back.
According to insiders Ms Banerjee who met a "concerned Mr Roy" following her recent statements - that the Trinamool was prepared to go with the Congress irrespective of its adjustment with the Left at the Centre - assured the State BJP chief that she would not dump the lotus for hand. "The BJP is an old ally and there is no question of jettisoning them whether or not we are able to strike a deal with the Congress," Ms Banerjee is known to have told Mr Roy who is keen on bringing down the number of contestants to around 22-25 as "we are interested in winning the seats and not merely fighting them."
By making her position on the BJP clear well in advance, Ms Banerjee has made the going difficult for the Congress, experts believe. "This will lead to more division in the Congress rank on the question of adopting an ally which is an enemy's friend," senior Trinamool leaders maintained hoping however, the Congress will show political acumen and shun its antipathy for the BJP because "if we can tolerate their alliance with the CPI(M) in Delhi why can't they bear with our friendship with the BJP."
Meanwhile, some suave pledges apart, the Congress seems serious but not sincere about striking a deal with the Trinamool Congress. The turmoil in the State unit on whether or not to bite the Trinamool bait is a case in point experts maintain. Already the house is divided vertically with some confirmed Mamata baiters like former aide Sudip Bandopadhyay, ex Kolkata Mayor Subroto Mukherjee and former PCC president Somen Mitra showing considerable reservation on forming a Mahajot with the Trinamool Congress.
"In coalition politics no one has the privilege of writing on a clean slate," a senior and largely impartial PCC leader said adding though coming with the Trinamool is the need of the hour it is a distant possibility. Senior leaders, like PR Dasmunshi and Pranab Mukherjee, are known to have rallied the ball to the high-command's court saying "decision would be taken at the highest level."
Mr Dasmunshi who is however the key architect in bringing the two parties together is yet to find enough support from Mr Mitra whose group commands a majority in the PCC and Mr Mukherjee. This is one reason that Mr Dasmunshi wants Congress president Sonia Gandhi to impose her will on the anti-Mamata lobby.
While Mr Mukherjee who is also the PCC president has restricted his commitment to having a discussion with Ms Banerjee, his deputy and acting president Pradip Bhattacharya has made it clear that it would be difficult for the Congress to drop the 'secular' baggage. It will not be very easy to convince the party men on an alliance with the Trinamool Congress till it has a truck with the BJP, Mr Bhattacharya has said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Although in Bengal, CPI(M) can be put in trouble if Trinamul, BJP and Congress gang up together. But that is very unlikely to happen.
NDA victory in Bihar has revived the spirits of old NDA partners like Mamta Banerjee and CB Naidu and Akalis. Even Asom Gana Parisad sounds like it will become an NDA parter.
Mamata hands it to lotus<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Once bitten - read backstabbed - in 2001 twice cautious, Nationalist Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee prefers BJP to a "less reliable" Congress if given a choice to choose between the two.
The firebrand leader is known to have made her feeling clear to the State BJP chief Tathagato Roy in a one-on-one meeting, both BJP and the NTC sources conceded.
The Trinamool chief who has recently made some advances at the Congress apparently to keep the Opposition votes from splitting has said that she would not risk a repetition of 2001 drama when the Congress allegedly struck an alliance with the NTC before stabbing it in the back.
According to insiders Ms Banerjee who met a "concerned Mr Roy" following her recent statements - that the Trinamool was prepared to go with the Congress irrespective of its adjustment with the Left at the Centre - assured the State BJP chief that she would not dump the lotus for hand. "The BJP is an old ally and there is no question of jettisoning them whether or not we are able to strike a deal with the Congress," Ms Banerjee is known to have told Mr Roy who is keen on bringing down the number of contestants to around 22-25 as "we are interested in winning the seats and not merely fighting them."
By making her position on the BJP clear well in advance, Ms Banerjee has made the going difficult for the Congress, experts believe. "This will lead to more division in the Congress rank on the question of adopting an ally which is an enemy's friend," senior Trinamool leaders maintained hoping however, the Congress will show political acumen and shun its antipathy for the BJP because "if we can tolerate their alliance with the CPI(M) in Delhi why can't they bear with our friendship with the BJP."
Meanwhile, some suave pledges apart, the Congress seems serious but not sincere about striking a deal with the Trinamool Congress. The turmoil in the State unit on whether or not to bite the Trinamool bait is a case in point experts maintain. Already the house is divided vertically with some confirmed Mamata baiters like former aide Sudip Bandopadhyay, ex Kolkata Mayor Subroto Mukherjee and former PCC president Somen Mitra showing considerable reservation on forming a Mahajot with the Trinamool Congress.
"In coalition politics no one has the privilege of writing on a clean slate," a senior and largely impartial PCC leader said adding though coming with the Trinamool is the need of the hour it is a distant possibility. Senior leaders, like PR Dasmunshi and Pranab Mukherjee, are known to have rallied the ball to the high-command's court saying "decision would be taken at the highest level."
Mr Dasmunshi who is however the key architect in bringing the two parties together is yet to find enough support from Mr Mitra whose group commands a majority in the PCC and Mr Mukherjee. This is one reason that Mr Dasmunshi wants Congress president Sonia Gandhi to impose her will on the anti-Mamata lobby.
While Mr Mukherjee who is also the PCC president has restricted his commitment to having a discussion with Ms Banerjee, his deputy and acting president Pradip Bhattacharya has made it clear that it would be difficult for the Congress to drop the 'secular' baggage. It will not be very easy to convince the party men on an alliance with the Trinamool Congress till it has a truck with the BJP, Mr Bhattacharya has said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->