'Trinamool, Cong. deal will not be altered'

By Our Special Correspondent

KOLKATA, APRIL 7. The Congress (I) and the Trinamool Congress, in an attempt to cap the rebellion among their ranks against the alliance, today jointly reafffirmed the modalities of seat allocation.

The Trinamool supremo, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, and the AICC general- secretary in charge of West Bengal affairs, Mr. Kamal Nath, held a joint press conference to proclaim that the deal worked out a week ago would not be altered.

All the top leaders of the two parties such as Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, Mr. A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhury, Mr. P.R. Das Munshi, Mr. Somen Mitra, Mr. Subrata Mukherjee, Mr. Sudip Bandopadhyay and Mr. Pankaj Banerjee were present, presumably to project a unified face.

Of the 294 seats announced today, the Trinamool would contest 237 and the Congress (I) 57. It is to be seen whether the rebel Trinamool and Congress (I) functionaries would accept this.

After a lot of persuasion, Mr. Khan Choudhury agreed to surrender the Old Malda seat to the Trinamool but not before Ms. Banerjee conceded the English Bazar to him.

``The alliance reflects the consolidation of Congress politics in Bengal against the Leftists' misrule for the past one and a half decades,'' Mr. Kamal Nath said.

Ms. Banerjee's changed impression of the Congress (I) was evident when she said the party had emerged as ``an anti-Left force''.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Govt. realigning J&K policy
Next     : Swamy assails Fernandes' talks with Vaiko,
           Nedumaran