The Hindu : Trinamool faction against rejoining NDA

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2003

National

National

Trinamool faction against rejoining NDA

By Our Special Correspondent

KOLKATA APRIL 7. A section in the Trinamool Congress thinks that the party chairperson, Mamata Banerjee, is once again committing a blunder by going out of her way to embrace the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Comprising the Kolkata Mayor, Subrata Mukherjee, MLAs Saugata Ray and Sadhan Pandey, and others, this group would rather like the party to maintain a distance from the BJP so that it can turn to the Congress for support at a later date. According to this group, Ms. Banerjee should not accept the BJP leadership's offer to rejoin the Vajpayee Cabinet in the near future.

These leaders also argue that once Ms. Banerjee becomes a part of the NDA Government she would find it difficult to remain silent when the BJP begins its high-pitched Assembly poll campaign with Hindutva as the central theme. "It's not politically correct to criticise the Congress so much. After all, that party is showing signs of revival," a senior Trinamool functionary commented.

According to Trinamool sources, the pro-Congress lobby might strengthen its relations with the Congress if the Trinamool fails to perform well in the May panchayat elections in West Bengal.

However, Ms. Banerjee is NDA-inclined. She, her MPs and a few key functionaries feel it would be unwise to collaborate with the Congress in the future as the party would maintain close relationship with the communists for political compulsions at the national-level. The BJP, as they see it, would be the only party that would remain staunchly anti-communist. "It is better to collaborate with the BJP wholeheartedly," the pro-NDA lobby said. Interestingly, the central BJP leadership has succeeded in forcing the anti-Banerjee faction in the Bengal BJP to fall in line with the State leadership which is coming closer to the Trinamool with every passing day. Tapan Sikdar and his followers whose dislike for Ms. Banerjee is well known, went on record on Sunday saying the BJP would require to forge a relationship with the Trinamool to "oust the communists from office in Bengal".

Meanwhile, the Trinamool's rebel MP, Ajit Panja, finds himself alienated from the NDA thanks to Ms. Banerjee's decision to embrace the NDA. Mr. Panja is now planning to create a separate forum to "fight' the communists in the coming panchayat elections.

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