The Hindu : National : New anti-Left alliance in West Bengal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 09, 2005

National

National

New anti-Left alliance in West Bengal

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: The split in West Bengal's main Opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, was formalised on Sunday, prompting significant changes in political alignments in the State with the formation of an eight-party, anti-Left Front alliance in which the Congress and Trinamool rebels are the principal constituents.

The alliance was named the "United Democratic Alliance", as proposed by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also president of the State's Pradesh Congress Committee. It is to be a "democratic and secular combine which would not only contest the coming polls to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation [KMC] on June 19 but also the Assembly elections next year", Mr. Mukherjee said.

Without a unified stand to prevent a division in anti-Left votes there was no way to defeat the might of the Left parties in the State, though they did support the Congress-led Government at the Centre, he said.

The split in the Trinamool was precipitated by differences between two factions within the leadership over the choice of partner for the civic polls. Defying chairperson Mamata Banerjee's insistence that the party would have no truck with the Congress unless the latter dissociated itself with the Left parties on whose support it depended for the survival of the United Progressive Alliance Government, her party colleague and Mayor of KMC, Subrata Mukherjee, broke away to form the Paschimbanga Unnayan Congress Manch last month.

The formation of the alliance was announced at an open convention organised by the Manch. On Saturday, the Mayor had sent a letter to Ms. Banerjee, inviting her to attend the meeting and join the anti-Left alliance. There was no response. The Trinamool leadership has ridiculed the new alliance and described it as a replica of the UPA at the Centre. There, however, is likelihood of more desertions from the party and alliance leaders reiterated that all "like-minded" parties or groupings were welcome to "join the new anti-Left front".

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National