The Congress is unlikely to rebuild its burnt bridges with the Trinamool Congress before the next year’s general elections, senior PCC leaders feel.
Bengal PCC president Pradip Bhattacharya’s comment that there were least chances of revival of the lost chemistry with the former ally found endorsement in AICC general secretary CP Joshi statements who said his party’s main priority was to strengthen the organisational capabilities of the Congress in Bengal instead of searching for allies at this juncture.
“We are not thinking of any alliance now. Our only aim is to fight the rural polls successfully,” Joshi a reported hardliner said, adding the issue of alliances would be discussed only after the Parliamentary elections were announced.
Bhattacharya had earlier said, “There is no question of any alliance with the Trinamool Congress in the general elections.”
His statements came close on the heels of the Chief Minister saying her first priority was to see the back of the Congress and the UPA from the Centre. “We will see the back of the Congress and bring it to such a position that it will have to go begging for alms,” she said.
The relationship between the two parties hit the rock bottom after the Trinamool walked out of the UPA-II last year following differences on a host of issues including diesel and lPG price hike, FDI in retails and the Centre’s repeated refusal to grant a financial package to the State.
On the package, Joshi said, “It is not the job of the Centre to give financial packages. The decision has to be taken by the Planning Commission”, indicating Delhi was not too keen to normalise its relation with the Trinamool Congress.