Cong not to forge alliance with Trinamool Congress despite backing Mamata faction on symbol row

Kolkata: Despite standing by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction in Trinamool Congress over the Election Commission of India (ECI’s) decision to freeze the original name and symbol of the party, neither the Congress high command in New Delhi nor the state party leadership in West Bengal is ready for any kind of electoral understanding with the previous ruling party in the state at least for the time being.

“We (Congress) have made our arguments very clear to our high command. Any kind of understanding with any of the three factions within Trinamool Congress will not be taken lightly by the grassroots level Congress workers. They have not forgotten how Trinamool Congress tried to break Congress again and again in West Bengal from 2011 to 2016. Our party workers have not forgotten the kind of tortures and humiliations they faced during the previous Trinamool Congress government. In such a situation, any arrangement with the Trinamool Congress will strengthen BJP further in West Bengal. Even our party’s high command in New Delhi is in agreement with the state leadership on this count,” a senior state party leader requesting anonymity said.

He added that the party high commands both at the national and state levels are in agreement that time highlight the issue of the arrest of Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the forthcoming Nandigram bypoll, by the West Bengal Police on Friday at the national level against the BJP.

“Our aim right now is to establish Congress as the most formidable challenger for the BJP in West Bengal. Our high command in New Delhi had given us the go-ahead to go all out on the issue of Milan Pradhan’s arrest. A high-profile senior advocate of the Supreme Court, who is also a senior party leader, will probably take the brief for Milan Pradhan in the court in the coming day. While our legal battle will be on, at the same time, we will be highlighting the arrest as a major issue against the BJP both at the state as well at the national level,” the state Congress leader said.

Milan Pradhan, who was arrested on Friday in an old murder case, will be presented at a court on Saturday and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody.

There are four cases related to rioting, murder and criminal intimidation against him which was registered in 2007 over the anti-land acquisition movement during the Late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Left Front government.

IANS