Opposition to Congress forging alliances in states

Shrill voices were raised against Congress going in for alliances in states at the AICC meeting with Union Minister Deepa Dasmunsi saying they have proved costly for the party-- be it West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Bihar or Maharashtra.

Claiming that that Congress was sacrificed at the altar of alliance in her state West Bengal, Dasmunsi made a strong pitch for "going it alone" even raising the spectre of party facing a rout in next Lok Sabha polls due to its compulsions of forging coalition with other parties to come to power at the Centre.

Dasmunsi, a known detractor of Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, cautioned the high command against telling the West Bengal Congress to again align with Trinamool Congress in 2014 elections.

Claiming that the graph of Trinamool Congress rose substantially in the last Lok Sabha polls raising its tally from one to 19 due to alliance with Congress, she said what was witnessed in the "2009 Parliament polls and the 2011 West Bengal Assembly polls was that Congress was sacrificed at the altar of alliance".

"Whenever we align with a regional party, we are damaged and the regional party comes to power at the cost of the Congress," was the refrain of Dasmunsi.

She said that the Congress experience of alliance was no different in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

She said that it was true that the party was facing some problems and because of compulsions, it has to forge coalitions.

"But what will happen if the Congress gets finished" in 2014 elections due to the constant compulsion of forging coalitions, she asked.

Congress is in coalition mode at the Centre since May 2004 after Sonia Gandhi led UPA to power in the wake of the Shimla Resolve in 2003 after the Congress Chintan Shivir there which made a strong pitch for unity of secular forces to oust the BJP-led NDA from power.

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