Won't Throttle Ourselves, Says Salman Khurshid On Alliance With Trinamool

Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Wednesday said his party can't talk to the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress until the state government stops its efforts to suppress his party.

Mr Khurshid said the Congress was neither prepared to go for political adjustments by throttling itself, nor does it expect such a stand from others.

With the Lok Sabha elections months away, there is much talk of the Congress joining hands with other parties to put up a strong fight against the ruling BJP at the centre.

A section of the state Congress leaders has already indicated its preference to join hands with the Trinamool Congress. However, a substantial number of leaders are firmly opposed to any electoral understanding with the Trinamool, as they feel the state ruling party was trying to finish the Congress in the state.

"All of us want to contest the elections together. But to fight the elections together, everybody has to be accommodative in a spirit of give and take. If we are ready for adjustments, that does not mean we will throttle ourselves, nor do we expect such an attitude from others," said Mr Khurshid.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has stated time and again that the issue of forging an anti-BJP alliance in a particular state should be entrusted to the strongest party in that particular state.

At the same time, she has announced that the Trinamool would contest all the Lok Sabha seats in the state in next year's general election.

Asked whether the Congress was planning to hold talks with the Mamata government in the given situation in the state, Mr Khurshid said: "We can talk to the Mamata government when it stops its attempts to suppress us. How can we talk to such people?"