In a tit-for-tat deal, six Congress ministers on Saturday resigned from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) -led West Bengal government, completing the end of a three and a half year alliance between the two parties.
Later on the day, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Pradip Bhattacharjee and the ministers met governor M K Narayanan at Raj Bhavan.
After submitting his resignation as a state Cabinet minister to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Manas Bhunia said at Writers’ Building, “We submitted the resignation to Banerjee and she said that we worked together and have done a good job. If we need anything we should let the chief minister know.”
Bhunia added that Banerjee also asked for suggestions for improving governance from the resigned ministers. The state Assembly had two Cabinet and four ministers of state from the Congress.party The move was triggered by a pullout announcement from the Centre by Banerjee and subsequent resignation of six TMC ministers from the central government.
TMC, which has 185 members in the Assembly, will not need the support or 42 Congress MLAs. However, Congress will now become the main Opposition in the state as CPI(M) has 38 seats. The Left Front alliance, however, has 60 seats.
Meanwhile, in a Cabinet reshuffle at the Centre scheduled next week, some ministerial berths will be given to state Congress leaders. According to sources, if Pradip Bhattacharjee gets a ministership at the Centre, it may lead to a reshuffle at WBPCC too.
WBPCC members relieved
WBPCC members said they are relieved at the snapping of ties, as for long, they had complained to the central leadership about the unfeasibility of working with the Trinamool in Bengal.
WBPCC members confess to maintain a balance at the Centre, they were asked to overlook these incidents. “The TMC was openly doing everything it could to finish us in the state, and we could do nothing because of the compulsions at the Centre,” said a state Congress leader.
The embittered relations between the two parties often spilt out in public denouncements of Banerjee’s government. Congress members of Parliament in the state such as Adhir Chowdhury and Deepa Das Munshi lambasted the state government on various issues, including farmer suicides, the law and order situation and attempts to suppress freedom of expression, even as the party continued to be part of her government.
Speaking to Business Standard, WBPCC chief Pradeep Bhattacharya said, “The TMC should remember when they voted for us, they voted for a Trinamool-Congress combine. She will not gain in going alone, the way she is imagining it to be.” He termed the current state of affairs “unfortunate”, adding, “The TMC chief is answerable to the people for this.” Congress members say now, they can openly haul up the state government for its failureswithout worrying about upsetting an already untenable relationship.
