Mamata mum on demand to sever links with NDA

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee refused to comment on West Bengal Congress’ demand that she sever links with the BJP-led NDA before entering a tie-up with it for the coming Lok Sabha polls.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday refused to comment on West Bengal Congress’ demand that she sever links with the BJP-led NDA before entering a tie-up with it for the coming Lok Sabha polls.

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“No comment is my only comment,” Mamata said after a meeting of the party-led ‘Save Farmland Committee´ in Kolkata.

on Saturday, the West Bengal Congress coordination committee at its crucial meeting on poll strategy, presided over by WBPCC chief and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, demanded the alliance should be on “honourable” terms and Trinamool Congress should assure that it would remain with the Congress even after the Lok Sabha elections.

The chief whip of the Congress Legislature party in West Bengal, Manas Bhunia, told PTI on Sunday the resolution adopted yesterday made it clear the Congress was very open to an alliance or adjustment with the Trinamool to form a secular democratic front to confront the CPI(M)-led Left Front in the parliamentary poll.

“Now it is her turn to reciprocate with all sincerity to achieve the goal. Anything next to it will be done by the Congress High Command.”

The resolution had said: “Secularism was deeply associated with the ideology of the Congress. On the issue of an alliance, an announcement is necessary that there is no association with the BJP or NDA either directly or indirectly.”