TMC hits back at Ramesh, calls him 'rootless wonder'

Trinamool Congress today hit back at Union minister Jairam Ramesh terming him a 'rootless wonder' for his remarks that the Mamata Banerjee-led party had a secret understanding with BJP and Congress would not have any electoral ties with it in the next Lok Sabha polls.
"Trinamool Congress is a powerful and secular party. We don't need any alliance (with the Congress)," senior TMC leader and party MP Saugata Roy said.
"Congress is a weak party in West Bengal. They have no existence in the state. This was reflected in the recent panchayat and municipal elections," he said.
Referring to Ramesh, the TMC MP said, "He is a rootless wonder and such kind of statement from him (on alliance with TMC) would only spell further disaster for Congress here."

Roy said he did not consider Ramesh as a political personality as he had never contested any election and was a member of the Rajya Sabha.
There is no acceptability of the Congress in the country as a whole and no one is willing to forge any alliance with it, he claimed and wondered why he (Ramesh) was voluntarily commenting on not having any alliance with TMC.

On Ramesh's allegation that TMC having a secret understanding with BJP, he said it was a 'lie' and the comment was 'irresponsible'. "TMC is a secular party and has no truck with communal forces."

BJP president Rajnath Singh too rejected Ramesh's allegation.
"It is Congress which believes in tacit understanding, we do not believe in it. Whatever we do, we do publicly," he told a press conference here during the day.
Ramesh ruled out any electoral alliance with former partner TMC in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
"Congress will not have any electoral alliance with any party which had secret understanding with BJP to win Lok Sabha by-election as had happened at an industrial constituency (Howrah LS seat) near Kolkata.