India’s two stated epitomes of simplicity: Gandhian activist Anna Hazare and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could join cause in the coming elections for the sake of giving India an ideal governance so to say.
With all hopes of an alliance with the Congress diminishing in the wake of strong Mamata-baiter Adhir Chowdhury’s appointment as the new Pradesh Congress president the Trinamool Congress is planning to make for the loss by enlisting the services of Anna Hazare in the coming general elections, inside sources say.
In fact the veteran Gandhian activist has consented to take part in Trinamool Congress’ electoral campaigns in Bengal and other States provided the party agrees to incorporate his 17-point suggestions in its poll manifesto. Trinamool all-India general secretary Mukul Roy is known to have assured Hazare of accepting his advice after the lok Sabha polls. “We accept your 17-point economic agenda and need your guidance also,” Roy has written to Hazare.
The former Railway Minister who has told the veteran activist about how most of his suggestions including improvement of the minorities, transparency in land acquisition, development of village-based industries had already been included in the party’s manifesto in 2009 parliamentary elections and 2011 Assembly polls assured him “that we are wholeheartedly working to incorporate many more such ideas on our party’s 2014 lok Sabha election manifesto.” Hazare is known to have conceded to campaign for the Trinamool Congress in “six States from where we are contesting including Bengal.”
Hazare had earlier written to the Trinamool leadership laying down his conditions for campaigning for the party in the elections. Meanwhile, in an unrelated development the Pradesh Congress is known to have sent the names of probable candidates for the lok Sabha elections to the High Command. While the six sitting MPs would be given tickets, the seventh confirmed ticket would go to Somen Mitra who was likely to contest from North Kolkata making it a tough fight for sitting Trinamool MP Sudip Bandopadhyay. The PCC has sent two names each for the remaining 35 seats, inside sources said.