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Cong rules out mahajot in Bengal: PTI

"Our stand is clear... we cannot have a tie-up with anyone having an alliance with the BJP," All-India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of West Bengal Kamal Nath told reporters after a five-member delegation of pro-mahajot Congress legislators led by senior leader Saugata Roy met Gandhi.

Asserting that there was no change in the Congress stand with regard to the mahajot, Nath said the party would continue to discuss the matter with all Congressmen from the state to evolve the best possible strategy to defeat the CPI-M in the assembly polls.

This was the second meeting the pro-mahajot leaders had with Gandhi to discuss strategy on the formation of a grand alliance to defeat the CPI-M in the assembly elections.

An an hour-long meeting, Roy told reporters that they had explained their viewpoint to Gandhi, necessitating an alliance with the Trinamul Congress to defeat the CPI-M in the assembly elections.

Former WBPCC president and an active supporter of mahajot A B A Ghani Khan Chaudhary, who met Gandhi separately said nothing had materialised on the issue.

Roy was among 19 Congress legislators from the state who had last week written to Gandhi, asking her to endorse a tie-up with the Trinamul, notwithstanding its alliance with the BJP, for the sake of a united fight against the CPI-M-led Left Front.

Roy, who attended the meeting along with party legislators Sital Sardar and Tapas Roy, said that people in the state wanted to drive out the Left Front and the Congress should not do anything that will be an impediment.

"Mamata has become a rallying point against the CPI-M-led Left Front in the state and the Congress should not ignore her in the coming elections if it was determined to oust the front from power," he said.

Pradeep Bhattacharjee, vice-president of the WBPCC, who along with party legislator Samar Mukherjee also met Gandhi, said the party had no objection to a tie-up with the Trinamul, but so long as it aligned with the BJP, the Congress will not have any truck with it.

"The Congress has no objection to a tie-up with the Trinamul, but so long as it has a tie-up with the BJP, we will have no truck with it," he said.

Samir Roy and Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, both AICC members, were also present at the meeting with Gandhi, besides Nath.

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