File photo of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
New Delhi:
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, says that she is willing to join a coalition that includes her arch rival, the Left, if the Congress takes the initiative to form the group.
Ms Banerjee, who in 2011, ended the Left's 34-year-long run in Bengal, made it clear, however, that any partnership would not extend to her home state.
She was present yesterday in Delhi at a conference to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of India's first Prime Minister and Congressman Jawaharlal Nehru. The event was organised by the Congress, and the BJP was not invited.
"Let them decide... Let them invite," Ms Banerjee told a news channel when asked if she would join an alliance fronted by the Congress to take on the BJP. "For the greater interest of the country, for the peaceful situation of the country, for the stability of the country... I will be with them," she said, stressing that she is committed to fighting "communal forces."
Ms Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress, has been unnerved by gains made in Bengal by the BJP. In the Lok Sabha election, the BJP, powered by Narendra Modi's high-octane campaign, won two of the state's 42 parliamentary seats. In recent Assembly bypolls to two seats, the BJP won South Bashirhat and made an entry into the House. Buoyed by the victory at South Bashirhat, the BJP has launched a membership drive and erstwhile supporters of the Left are believed to be joining in droves as well as disgruntled Trinamool supporters.
BJP president Amit Shah held a meeting in Kolkata on September 7. He is due to hold another meeting in central Kolkata on November 30.
Bengal votes for its next government in 2016.
Ms Banerjee, who in 2011, ended the Left's 34-year-long run in Bengal, made it clear, however, that any partnership would not extend to her home state.
She was present yesterday in Delhi at a conference to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of India's first Prime Minister and Congressman Jawaharlal Nehru. The event was organised by the Congress, and the BJP was not invited.
"Let them decide... Let them invite," Ms Banerjee told a news channel when asked if she would join an alliance fronted by the Congress to take on the BJP. "For the greater interest of the country, for the peaceful situation of the country, for the stability of the country... I will be with them," she said, stressing that she is committed to fighting "communal forces."
Ms Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress, has been unnerved by gains made in Bengal by the BJP. In the Lok Sabha election, the BJP, powered by Narendra Modi's high-octane campaign, won two of the state's 42 parliamentary seats. In recent Assembly bypolls to two seats, the BJP won South Bashirhat and made an entry into the House. Buoyed by the victory at South Bashirhat, the BJP has launched a membership drive and erstwhile supporters of the Left are believed to be joining in droves as well as disgruntled Trinamool supporters.
BJP president Amit Shah held a meeting in Kolkata on September 7. He is due to hold another meeting in central Kolkata on November 30.
Bengal votes for its next government in 2016.
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