We’ll fight Cong: Mamata

A day after the Congress released its list of candidates for the forthcoming polls in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee broke her silence. She accused the Congress of “supplying oxygen to an ailing CPI(M)”.

Banerjee released a full list of 141 candidates for the civic polls on Sunday after the Congress released its list of 88 candidates on Saturday, rejecting Mamata’s offer to contest in 24 of the seats.

“I gave 25 seats after discussing with their leaders but they split the alliance. So I’ve to contest in all the seats along with allies such as NCP, SP and SUCI,” she said.

Neither of the parties, however, said this meant an end to the alliance in the future. According to sources, this move was Congress’s way to check its strength before the Assembly polls so that they could bargain for seats.

Mamata also said that any party that helped the CPI(M) against Trinamool was not an ally. “I can’t have any relation with them. We’ll fight the Congress, BJP and CPI(M) to win the polls,”

she said. Declaring an all-out war, she said, in politics, “there were no friendly contests with those who cross over to the enemy camp”.

She further said that at the Centre, Trinamool was a part of an alliance led by the Congress.

“That doesn’t mean we’ll bend to the dictates of CPI(M) stooges in Bengal. The day I compromise with the CPI(M) it will be my political death,” said Mamata.

State Congress working president Pradip Bhattacharya said that while his party wanted the alliance, Mamata refused
to accommodate Congress.

“We had accommodated Mamata in the Assembly bypolls and Lok Sabha.

She should have done the same for us,” he complained.