Alva blasts Mamata for flop alliance attempt

Kolkata, Apr 7 (UNI) In the first show of offence against the Trinamool Congress for a failed alliance attempt, AICC General Secretary Margaret Alva today held Ms Mamata Banerjee responsible for frustrating the move for an Opposition unity against the ruling Left Front in West Bengal.

''The alliance move between the Congress and the Trinamool flopped because Mamata backed out despite our repeated efforts, ''Ms Alva told reporters in reply to a question.

She said the Congress had always tried to build up the proposed alliance and make sure that anti-Left votes were not divided. ''But Mamata frustrated all efforts by refusing to sever ties with the BJP,'' she said.

With party President Sonia Gandhi taking a stand against having any truck with the BJP, the Congress had conveyed to the Trinamool chief its reservation against the NDA major and invited her to lead a secular non-Left alliance to fight the Marxist, which she refused, Ms Alva said.

''Now we will expose Mamata on why she prefers the NDA to the Congress,'' she said without elaborating.

She, however, said it was now a ''closed chapter'' and the Congress would fight the elections to perform better.

Ms Alva informed that both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi would be campaigning in favour of party candidates in the state before the third, fourth and fifth phases of elections.

While the Prime Minister would address two election rallies, Ms Gandhi would address eight, she said, adding that details of the preogrammes were yet to be finalised.

In reply to a question on the internal bickerings in Murshidabad district that led to party MP Adhir Chowdhury to field rebel candidates, Ms Alva said the party was looking into the matter.

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