Congress readies anti-Didi arsenal

As Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee gets ready to launch her nationwide campaign against the UPA, the Congress is also gearing up to take on its estranged ally in her bastion of West Bengal.

As Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee gets ready to launch her nationwide campaign against the UPA, the Congress is also gearing up to take on its estranged ally in her bastion of West Bengal.

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Congress leader and former Bengal minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia led a party delegation to meet commerce minister Anand Sharma, railway minister CP Joshi and rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday.

While Sharma gave several documents on FDI policy to prepare the party's responses against Banerjee's campaign, Ramesh agreed to address a rally in Lalgarh - a key area of Jangalmahal area of the state-next month.

"This will be our first political rally at Lalgarh after the new government came to power last year. We will highlight how the Centre is helping to bring peace and development in the region," said Bhunia.

Banerjee plans to protest against FDI at Jantar Mantar on October 1 and to counter it, the Bengal's Congress unit will campaign about the benefits of reforms in state.

"We will make booklets and CDs and hold interactive sessions at block and district level," Bhunia said.

The delegation also sought assurance from Joshi and Ramesh that no central projects in Bengal should be affected due to Trinamool's exit from the UPA government.

"Projects announced for West Bengal with financial sanction will be implemented. All these are projects of the UPA government, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," Joshi said.

"Rumors are being spread by Trinamool leaders that projects announced for Bengal in the last three years would be scrapped. This is the reason that we met the railways minister for his clarifications," Bhunia told reporters.