Once ‘stabbed in the back’ — allegedly by Mamata Banerjee — and doubly circumspect, the Bengal chapter of the Congress has put its foot down on the issue of extending an understanding with the Trinamool Congress beyond the Presidential elections.
Not only this but also to crystallise its camaraderie with the left, the Bengal Pradesh Congress leadership has expressed its desire to support the candidature of CPI(M) general secreatry Sitaram Yechury in the Rajya Sabha elections.
And if CPI(M)’s organisational technicalities come in the way of Yechury’s third stint in the Upper House, then the names of other senior leaders like Deepa Dasmunshi or for that matter OP Mishra could be considered, the State leadership is known to have communicated to Janpath.
Incidentally, sources close to Congress high command have made known party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s weakness for the CPI(M) top boss.
According to PCC sources, the Congress national leadership is willing to strike a balance between the vociferous demand of the State leadership of not going with the Trinamool Congress which has ‘literally demolished the Congress in Bengal by buying, threatening and criminally implicating our men and leaders’ and its political compulsion to join cause with Mamata Banerjee in the Presidential polls.
The Bengal Chief Minister had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi last week at Janpath where they discussed ‘among a host of issues related to Presidential elections. Following the talks Banerjee issued a blanket ban inside her party on attacking the Congress in Bengal.
“You attack CPI(M) and BJP, leave Congress on me. No one will speak out of turn against the Congress,” she said, failing however to win over the hearts of the Congress rank and file with OP Mishra making re-alliance with the Trinamool conditional.
He said, “First return elected representatives you have hijacked from us on gun point or by falsely implicating them in criminal cases, restore the panchayats and civic bodies you have toppled with money and muscle power, withdraw the false cases levelled against our men and remove the name ‘Congress’ from the expression Trinamool Congress for us to reconsider the alliance proposal.”
Meanwhile, in a related development, Mamata on Sunday declared names for Rajya Sabha elections re-nominating SS Roy, Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen.
She gave first time nominations to Dr Manas Bhunia a Congress MlA and a former PCC president who switched over to the Trinamool without giving up his seat soon after the 2016 Assembly elections after an FIR was lodged against him in a murder case that took place during the polls.
While his sudden switch-over in terms of Banerjee’s “good performance” and Congress’ “poor politics” PCC said Bhunia was forcibly hijacked like numerous other Opposition politicians at gun point. Officially Bhunia continues to be a Congress MlA.
Apart from Bhunia, the Chief Minister also nominated Shanta Chetri, a former Congress leader from Darjee-
ling, apparently as a message to the Hill voters. “No party of plain had till now given Rajya Sabha nomination to someone from the Hills. let this development start a trend,” said Mamata.