Quit alliance in West Bengal: TMC challenges Congress

Launching a fresh offensive against its ally, the Trinamool Congress for the first time held a political rally against the Congress, bluntly telling it to choose the way it wanted to exit from the ruling alliance in West Bengal.

The state Congress unit on its part said the party is not in the Mamata Banerjee ministry at "someone's mercy" and that it will leave the alliance when its leadership will ask it to do so.

"Some of them (Congress leaders) are saying that the party does not exit from the back door, but the main entrance. We are telling them all doors are open for them to go," Trinamool Congress Secretary-General Partha Chatterjee told the rally in an apparent dig at the statement by Mamata-baiter Congress member of Parliament Deepa Dasmushi.

Claiming that the Congress was utilising the image of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for its political survival, Chatterjee, the industry and commerce minister said "If they

have the guts let them face elections without Mamata's photo and prove that they can win on their own."

The Chief Minister who had on Saturday dared the Congress to quit the alliance in the state did not attend the rally, though the Trinamool top brass including several MPs were present.

Alleging that Congress and CPI-M had ganged up against the chief minister to stall development in agriculture and industry in the state initiated by her, Chatterjee said.

"The Congress must declare clearly whether it will side with the CPI-M or remain with the Trinamool. We will not tolerate duplicity."

mid the widening rift between the coalition partners, a Congress minister in the state government slammed the TC for launching an attack against his party and asked it to  maintain restraint and perform 'rajdharma'.

"We have fought as an alliance partner and came to power. We are not there on someone's mercy. The Congress is not a party of Tom, Dick, Harry. It is an all-India party. It has sent us (in the government). We will leave ministry as a rejected slipper when our party will ask us to do so," Manoj Chakraborty, minister of state for small industries, said.