Thaindian News

Kolkata, Nov 20 (IANS) The Congress’ strained ties with the Trinamool Congress came into sharp focus Sunday with two union ministers and an MP criticising the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on a host of issues, just days after she asked the Congress to decide whether it wanted to continue the alliance or not.

While union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said the Congress had no need for advice from other political outfits, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee took a jibe at the state government’s purported plans to empower bureaucrats for a greater say in functioning of panchayat bodies.

Addressing a panchayati raj meet convened by the Congress, Ramesh stressed on the need for coordination between the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and West Bengal government.

“We have not taken VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme). We will work as a political party. We know our limitations also and will not cross the limit as we have to run the government also. We have our government at the centre and also an alliance government in West Bengal.

“So long there is coordination between the state and the central governments, it will be good for both the centre and the state. Congress doesn’t need any advice from others. We know our duties and responsibilities both as ruling party and as opposition party,” Ramesh said without mentioning Banerjee or the Trinamool.

On the issue of local governance, Mukherjee said the democratic fabric will not be strengthened if panchayat bodies are run through bureaucrats by overriding elected representatives.

“If the work of the panchayats is done by bureaucrats and officials then it will not strengthen democracy. And if this basic form of democracy is not strengthened, no other form of governance can succeed.

“The main intention of the panchayat system is decentralisation of power. So we have to strengthen this first tier of governance. If there is any problem in the panchayat system, we’ve to solve it by staying within the system. But in the name of a solution we shouldn’t move away from the system,” said Mukherjee.

On Friday, Banerjee had served a fresh ultimatum to the Congress, asking it to “decide whether you want to stay with us or not” after the Youth Congress took out a protest rally in the city against alleged attacks on party workers by Trinamool activists.

An angry Banerjee asserted that her party was not dependent on the Congress to run the state government, and said the Congress has to decide both at the centre and the state whether it wanted to carry on the alliance.

Congress MP Deepa Das Munshi, who was one of the key figures in Friday’s Youth Congress rally, accused Trinamool of conspiring to finish the grand old party of India in the state.

“A conspiracy is on to make the Congress a signboard-only party. We will not allow that. It is being said that they don’t need the Congress. But without central funds the state government can’t even pay salaries to employees,” said Das Munshi.

While the Congress-led UPA government in New Delhi needs the support of the Trinamool to retain its majority, the Trinamool has a huge majority of its own in the state assembly.

Earlier, on the issue of repeated petrol price hikes, Banerjee had threatened that her party - the second largest partner in the Congress-led UPA - would not stay with the central government and demanded a rollback.