Row over renaming Indira Bhavan: Congress working with CPM, says Mamata

Kolkata: The relationship between the Congress and the Trinamool hit a new low today in West Bengal over Mamata Banerjee's proposal to rename Indira Bhavan, a building named after the former Congress Prime Minister, in Kolkata's Salt Lake.

The youth Congress today held a demonstration in the city to protest the name change.

The West Bengal chief minister reacted angrily to the protest, saying the Congress was working in tandem with the Left against her party. "Congress is protesting against renaming Indira Bhavan but they never protested when Indira Bhavan became Jyoti Bhavan, CPM's party office, during Jyoti Basu's regime for 34 years. Every day they are working with the CPM to block roads. Together they are slamming us every day, but I have never used strong words against Manmohan ji or Sonia ji," said Ms Banerjee.

Ms Banerjee wanted the building renamed Nazrul Bhavan after the legendary Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul. The building was the official residence of the late West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu. But controversy erupted after the CPM vacated the building last week.

After the FDI, the pension bill and the Lokpal, the last thing the Congress wants is another confrontation with Mamata. So, party spokesperson Manish Tewari dismissed Ms Banerjee's claim, saying the Congress is an ally of Ms Banerjee's government, and not the Left.

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"The chief minister of West Bengal is saying the Congress and the Left are working in tandem. Congress is an ally of the Trinamool. We don't know in what perspective this statement has been made by the Trinamool. We agree Left was ally of Congress in UPA-1," said Mr Tewari.

The Congress in Delhi is clearly walking on egg-shells, especially with the Trinamool planning to contest the Uttar Pradesh elections, not in partnership with the Congress. The way Congress-Trinamool ties are unravelling in Kolkata, Delhi may not be that far behind.

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