By IANS,
Kolkata : “Decide whether you want to stay with us or not” — was a fresh ultimatum served to the Congress party by Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday after a protest rally by Youth Congress against alleged attacks on party workers by Trinamool activists.
A fiery Banerjee said the Congress has to decide both at the centre and the state whether to carry on the alliance with the Trinamool and added that her party does not need the Congress support.
“It is for the Congress to decide whether to support Trinamool or extend indirect support to Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). It will be sorted out because this thing cannot go hand in hand. They (Congress) have earlier done the same thing. Trinamool doesn’t want to stay with political parties which have covert relations with CPI-M,” said Banerjee.
Banerjee said it was for the Congress to decide whether they want to stay with Trinamool or forge an alliance with the Communists.
“The Congress leaders are abusing us everyday. What do they think? In Delhi they don’t have majority to run the central government but we have the majority in Bengal for running the state government. We don’t need to depend on them to run the government,” said Banerjee.
The Youth Congress Friday took out a protest rally against alleged violence by Trinamool Congress activists on Congress workers across the state.
“What are they trying to achieve by taking out this rally in the South Kolkata area just before Lok Sabha by polls. Do they want to strengthen the hands of CPI-M? If they are taking out rallies then we can also take out rallies. People of Bengal are well aware of everything. They are with us,” said Banerjee.
Asked whether she will register an official complaint with Congress president Sonia Gandhi or the prime minister regarding the rally, Banerjee said: “I don’t believe in complaining. I hope they will get the message from what I said just now. It’s better to stay separately than letting our supporters get thrashed by Congress supporters.”
Earlier, on the issue of repeated petrol price hikes, Banerjee had threatened that her party – the second largest partner in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) – would not stay with the central government and demanded a roll-back.