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Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee Monday charged the Election Commission with ''manipulating'' the assembly elections in West Bengal in league with the central and state governments, even as she ruled out her party's return to the National Democratic Alliance.
Appearing for the first time before mediapersons after the Bangla Bachao Front's poll debacle in Calcutta, Banerjee, whose resignation was rejected by the policy-making committee of the Trinamul Congress, lambasted Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill and his associates for their ''connivance with the two governments to manufacture'' the poll.
The firebrand leader said state-sponsored terrorism prevented people of West Bengal from exercising their democratic rights which could have been resisted by the ''three musketeers''.
She alleged that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had played a role of ''neo-Hitler'' in masterminding the state-wide rigging and commented that this government should not take the oath of office.
To a question whether the Trinamul Congress and its alliance partners would boycott the swearing-in of the new government, Banerjee said the decision would be taken by its legislature party meeting on Tuesday.
Mamata ruled out the possibility of her party's return to the ruling NDA at the Centre, even as George Fernandes said the NDA's doors were "wide open" for her.
The firebrand leader, said, "We are not with the NDA and we are not going to return to the NDA."
Banerjee accused the Vajpayee government of adopting a 'vindictive attitude' towards the Trinamul Congress during the assembly polls, for quitting the NDA.
The Trinamul Congress chairperson said the alliance with the Congress would continue.
Banerjee also rejected the contention that the TC's severing of ties with the BJP had affected its poll prospect, saying that the BJP had drawn a blank in the state assembly polls.
NDA convenor Fernandes had said in Patna that the Trinamul Congress chief was welcome to join the NDA again but the decision had to be taken by her.
"She is welcome back into the NDA, but the choice has to be hers," Fernandes, whose resignation Banerjee had demanded after the Tehelka tapes, said.
"She committed a mistake by aligning with the Congress.... together we could have unseated the Left Front and Mamata would have been the chief minister," he told newsmen.
West Bengal Pradesh Congress chief Pranab Mukherjee also said his party's alliance with the Trinamul would continue despite the combine's poll debacle in the state.
"Our alliance will be maintained. Now that the election is over, our alliance will work out political action," Mukherjee said after a meeting with Banerjee at her residence.
Mukherjee said the Opposition leader in the new assembly would be elected from the Trinamul as it had the requisite number of legislators.
Mukherjee said he would meet All-India Congress Committee President Sonia Gandhi and sumbit a report to her on the performance of the Congress in the assembly elections in the state.
On whether he would resign as WBPCC President, Mukherjee said he was appointed 'for a limited period of time' and that there was no certainty that he would be asked to continue.
"I may be asked to continue or asked to quit. I have no idea what the AICC will ask me", Mukherjee added.
He said he was not 'happy' with the poll result of the Congress, which secured 26 of the 59 seats it contested,
Mukherjee took over the reins of the Pradesh Congress in August last year from A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury and initiated the party's move for a poll alliance with the Trinamul a few days before the May 10 elections.
Agencies
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