Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee did a volte face on Tuesday by declaring that her party would support the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)’s candidate Pranab Mukherjee in the July 19 Presidential election.
Describing it as a “painful decision”, Banerjee, who had earlier opposed Mukherjee’s candidature, said: “We wanted former president A P J Abdul Kalam to be the President again. He did not contest, as other political parties were not ready to back him. It was a unfortunate.”
She added: “We had two options, either to abstain or to support somebody. Even if we abstain, it would help Mukherjee. Since we didn’t want to skip this democratic right and have no other option, TMC is supporting him for the Presidential poll. After all, he is a Bengali man.”
Banerjee, however, reiterated that he opposition to the UPA government on key policy matters would continue. “We will continue with our protests for the people on issues like petrol price and retail FDI (foreign direct investment), which are in our manifesto.”
After Banerjee’s announcement, the Congress welcomed the decision with its spokesperson Manish Tewari, saying: “This (TMC support) will further strengthen his (Mukerjee’s) election campaign and he will emerge victorious with far greater majority.”
However, a Congress leader, who did not want to be named said: “For the first time in three years of UPA II, Banerjee has been forced to mend her ways, as she understood that had become irrelevant in this whole Presidential poll.”
A senior TMC Member of Parliament, also on condition of anonymity, said at least 12 of the 28 TMC MPs were keen to vote for Mukherjee and the TMC chief would have obviously realised the dangers of cross-voting.
Added another Congress leader: “If Banerjee would have continued to oppose UPA on this crucial Presidential election, her position in the coalition would have become increasingly untenable.” A fact that Banerjee herself must have realised, when she said: “There is a discipline in alliance politics. This decision was made to respect the same and not just support an individual.”