Kolkata, Oct 1 (IANS) Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Thursday accused the Congress of breaching the rules of alliance politics, hours after the latter formed the civic board in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation with support from the West Bengal’s ruling Left Front (LF).
The Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), is a staunch opponent of the Trinamool Congress, a coalition partner of the Congress in the central government.
“The Congress has belied the mandate of the people in Siliguri, who voted for a political alternative. But they (Congress) breached their trust. Our party has been very transparent on the whole issue and we condemn this unholy nexus between the CPI-M and Congress,” Banerjee told Star Ananda news channel.
She added: “We will continue to work for the interest of the common masses. And people still believe that Trinamool Congress only can bring change in the state. The Congress and the CPI-M have again proved that they are together.”
“People of Siliguri wanted the Trinamool Congress-Congress combine and so they voted for us. I respect the terms and conditions of alliance politics and since we’re supporting the Manmohan Singh government at the centre, I would not say much on the issue right now,” Banerjee went on.
The Congress Thursday formed the Siliguri civic board with the support of the Left Front, leaving Trinamool Congress high and dry.
Trinamool Congress decided to part with its partner and chose to sit in the opposition in the municipal corporation.
The Congress has won the electoral tie in the Siliguri civic body with a margin of 32:15 votes of councillors, with the support of the Left Front members. Congress-nominated candidate Gayetri Dutta has been elected as the mayor.
Both the Congress and the Trinamool Congress laid claim to the mayor’s chair after the Siliguri municipal polls resulted in a tie. They have 15 seats each.
The Congress won 15 seats and Trinamool 14 in the elections but Mamata Banerjee’s party claimed the support of an independent candidate, Ranjan Sil Sharma, to equal the Congress number.