The chill persists: ‘Will talk to Mamata when she is ready’

The chill between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress became more biting when UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee, who held a meeting with the Left and Congress MLAs at the Assembly on Monday, said he would talk to her only when she was willing to talk to him. Mukherjee, thus, made it clear that he would not call Mamata to bring about a thaw in the relationship.

"I am ready to talk to Mamata Banerjee as and when she is ready to talk to me. Ever since my candidature was announced, I have said I wanted their support,'' he said after the meeting.

The TMC was quick to react. "It's Pranabbabu and not Mamata Banerjee who is contesting the election and so it is Pranabbabu who should take the initiative. But in any case some people are comfortable with the CPM and have gone there. So far we are concerned we will never genuflect before the CPM,'' said Minister for Panchayats and Rural Development Subrata Mukherjee.

During the meeting with Congress MLAs, Mukherjee became emotional as he said his political career that started on July 4, 1969, when he was first elected to the Rajya Sabha was coming to an end with his entry to the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

If Mukherjee set the tone against the Trinamool on an aggressive note, Minister for Small Irrigation and Micro Industries Manas Bhuina went a step further by slamming his own government, calling his cabinet colleagues "fools".

"Those who say Pranab Mukherjee did not give any money to the state are all fools. He did, on many occasions, bail out the state government,'' he said. To this, Subrata Mukherjee said: "It was Pranab Mukherjee who, as finance minister, sanctioned the loan for the Left Front government and thus we inherited a colossal debt of Rs 2 lakh crore. Those who are calling us fools should see their face in the mirror."

... contd.

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