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Panja's decision personal, says Mamata

Trinamul Congress president Mamata Banerjee refused on Thursday to attach much importance to the dissent of senior party politician Ajit Panja and described his support to the National Democratic Alliance as a 'personal decision'.

"The decision to withdraw support to the ruling NDA was taken unanimously at a meeting at which party MPs were present. Panja must not forget this," she told reporters before leaving for campaigning in the South 24 Parganas district.

Panja claimed that the Trinamul parliamentary party had unanimously decided that the party's ministers would resign from government and abstain from voting in Parliament on the Tehelka issue, but would continue to support the NDA from outside.

Maintaining that there was no need to play up what Panja had said about the party, Banerjee said, "Ajitda understands politics better than me. He has taken his personal decision."

To a question, she said Panja, the state Trinamul Congress chairman, would be invited to campaign for the party's candidates in the assembly election.

On the seat-sharing dispute in Malda district between her party and the Congress, Banerjee said that according to the agreement between the parties, English Bazaar, Gajole and Old Malda seats had been allocated to the Trinamul.

PTI

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