Congress in damage control mode over Mamata

Kolkata, May 6 (ANI): After angering Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee with pro-Left comment by Rahul Gandhi at his press conference in New Delhi yesterday, Congress party has come under damage control mode.

Party's media department chairperson M Veerappa Moily on Wednesday said that Congress alliance with Trinamool Congress was "very precious," and "we will not do anything to undermine it".

"We have a very precious alliance with Mamata Banerjee's party and it is permanent. We will not take even a single step forward to subvert the agreement with Trinamool Congress," Moily said, while addressing a press conference on Wednesday.

"We will not at any cost undermine this agreement. This trust will continue between us," he added.

Mamata Banerjee reportedly threatened to walk out of the alliance with Congress if it has any post-poll tie up with CPI (M).

"I am telling you I will not comment. I won't make any comment on what Rahul Gandhi has said," she said when quizzed about the same.

Trinamool Congress leader Partho Chatterjee said here that the party was opposed to any alliance at the Centre which includes the CPI (M).

On Tuesday, AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had said his party was always open to post-poll alliances with the Left.

"Ideological differences between Congress and Left persist, but there is lot of meeting ground and reasonable amount of common space," he said.

Addressing a press conference at the Ashoka Hotel here, he had said, "If Left gets 180-190 seats, we will consider supporting them. I hope they are able to achieve that. If they are able to do that, I will be the first one to say you know what, let's support the Left." (ANI)