Mamata calls for joint movement with Congress

Kolkata, Oct 12: In an apparent indication of distancing the long-time ally BJP, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has appealed to the Congress in West Bengal for a joint movement against the Left Front Government on its agricultural policy.

In a letter to Pradesh Congress working president Pradip Bhattacharjee, Ms Banerjee had said the party was in need of support from the Congress to oppose the policy of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government that had resulted in large acquisition of fertile farm land for setting up industries, including the Tata Motors' small car project.

''Our movement against the Government policy cannot stop. What I have done is to keep the movement going, '' she told reporters.

Her letter, copies of which were sent to Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee and Priyaranjan Dasmunshi besides AICC General Secretary Margaret Alva, came in the wake of the unconditional support of the Congress to the Trinamool-sponsored 12-hour Bangla bandh on October nine in protest against taking over agricultural plots from farmers for the Tata project at Singur in Hooghly district.

According to party sources, the Trinamool leader made the appeal on the advice by Union Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi during telephonic talks on Tuesday night.

Mr Dasmunshi had been trying to bridge the gap between the two major Opposition forces keeping at bay the BJP and strike a political realignment in the divided anti-Left camp in the state.

'' We have received a letter from Mamata. She has thanked the Congress for extending support to the bandh and sought discussions on joint programmes in the next phase, '' Mr Bhattacharjee said.

As both parties were mauled by the CPI (M)-led Left coalition in the Assembly elections five months ago despite having bagged a combined 49 per cent votes, serious thoughts were being given at both ends for the possibility of regrouping to keep undivided the anti-Left votes.

A move in this direction came a cropper before the elections when the Congress appealed to Ms Banerjee to sever ties with the BJP and she refused to ditch a friend.

Beginning the process of amending mistakes of the past, recently the Congress and the Trinamool came to an unofficial seat adjustment during the byelections to three Lok Sabha and one Assembly seats as Ms Banerjee showed cold shoulder to the BJP in negotiations. With the Tata's small car issue providing the spadework ground for future unity, both parties were mulling a sustained joint movement on different issues against the Left Front Government to pave way to come close. Wary of being dubbed "anti-industry", the Congress reportedly suggested to the Trinamool to move together against the agricultural policy as a whole.

''Mr Dasmunshi has told Mamata that if the joint movement is directed particularly against the small car project, it will have the tag of anti-industry, which the CPI (M) is campaigning. The movement should be on a broader plank opposing the Government's agricultural policy,'' Trinamool sources said.

The future movements could even revolve around various other issues concerning the people, they added.

However, with the BJP remaining the stumbling block for closer ties between two two forces, Ms Banerjee and the other leaders of her party had been maintaining a calculated silence on the NDA ally.

After senior Trinamool leader Ajit Panja said recently that the party would remain with the NDA, Mr Dasmunshi reportedly requested Ms Banerjee to be cautious about making any such commitment in public since this would prevent the Congress from joining hands with the Trinamool.

UNI