'Trinamool, Cong rally not turf war'

Ahead of their respective rallies in West Bengal on Monday, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress have dismissed suggestions that the two main allies of the UPA are engaged in a "bitter turf war".

Ahead of their respective rallies in West Bengal on Monday, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress have dismissed suggestions that the two main allies of the UPA are engaged in a "bitter turf war".

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Both the parties have maintained that their common goal is to end the more than 30-year-long CPM rule in the state.

But the parallel rallies by the Trinamool in West Midnapore’s Lalgarh and the Congress in neighbouring Tamluk in East Midnapore on the same day are being seen as an attempt to counter each other.

"Congress has every right and authority to hold a rally on August 9, which is the Quit India Movement day. There is nothing wrong in it," Trinamool leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay told HT.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee had announced the rally would be held under Santras Birodhi Mancha (Anti-Atrocities Platform), an apolitical forum, and not her party.

On its part, the Congress has organised several programmes on August 9 across the country. "It is a pre-arranged programme and not a counter rally against Trinamool," said Congress leader in-charge of Bengal K.Keshava Rao.