Alliance with CPM in Silguri Council is a local issue: Congress

Kolkata, Oct 2 (ANI): Congress Working Committee Member, Keshav Rao on Friday said that the alliance between the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) in Silguri Municipal Council is a pure local issue.

Rao also revealed that alliance has been sealed without the knowledge of the party's high command.

"There is no breach of trust. This has happened without the knowledge of the Central leadership. I had spoken to Mamata before the election and we had decided to leave the decision to the local leadership. There are five places where Mamata has taken help from BJP," Rao said.

"I can rake up those issues also, but I won't do so. The CPM wanted to boycott the poll, which we don't know what prompted the same-perhaps the local leaders went and asked for their vote," he added.

On Thursday, Banerjee condemned alliance between the Congress and the CPM in mayoral polls of the Silguri Municipal Corporation saying that it's a breach of political trust. She also alleged that the Congress has committed a political crime by joining hands with the CPM.

Rao also said: "No need for Mamata to be angry, it is a trivial issue. If one is angry, the other can get angry too. Our eyes are only on the next assembly elections, where TMC and Congress are natural allies."

Congress candidate Gangotri Dutta bagged the Mayor's post in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation with the support of Left Front councillors defeating the Trinmool Congress candidate Goutam Deb. (ANI)