Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee sent a message to the Congress high command on Saturday saying that she would like her party to be taken into confidence before a candidate for the coming Presidential elections was finalised.
The message, it was learnt, was conveyed to Shakeel Ahmed, All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of West Bengal, when they met at the State Secretariat during the day.
Mr. Ahmed, on behalf of his party's national leadership, assured all cooperation to Ms. Banerjee.
“The Trinamool Congress continues to be an important ally of the UPA government. We will actively hold discussions with the party on all important issues concerning the government,” he told The Hindu .
This is in line with Congress president Sonia Gandhi's remarks earlier this week where she underlined the need “to stay in touch and talk to our coalition partners” on issues beneficial to the people.
Party sources here said the Congress had decided to have increased interactions with the Trinamool and regularly keep in touch with the party on national issues and policy decisions of the UPA government.
While Ms. Banerjee did not express reservations on the Congress nominating a candidate for the Rajya Sabha from the State in the upcoming polls, she emphasised that “special attention” should be given to the State in the Union budget, to be presented in Parliament on March 16.
She asked Mr. Ahmed to apprise the Congress leadership of the financial crisis in the State.
Mr. Ahmed dismissed the possibility of mid-term elections.
Asked to comment on the alleged remark of Trinamool leader and Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi that his party would be happy to have early mid-term polls, Mr. Ahmed said: “The honourable Minister has himself clarified the situation. I have nothing to say.”
On whether the invitation by Punjab Chief Minister-designate Parkash Singh Badal to Ms. Banerjee to attend his swearing-in made the Congress apprehensive of formation of a third front of regional parties at the national level, he said: “In politics there is scope for personal relations… there can be no binding rule on anybody not to attend any function.”
