"Congress was with the TMC to bring change in the state, but it has not taken political sanyas. Congress has revitalised in the state after TMC severed ties," Ramesh, Union Rural Development minister, told a public meeting here in this former Maoist stronghold ahead of the rural poll scheduled next year.
He said that Congress would campaign to tell people, "you have seen the CPIM and the Trinamool Congress. But what have you got?"
In an obvious reference to the Trinamool Congress, whose chief Mamata Banerjee has dubbed Congress as the B team of the CPI(M), he said, "They were born within Congress, they got all the benefits and then hit the party. But Congress is alive. None can eliminate Congress from the state. We will face the challenge."
Taking strong exception to the TMC dubbing the Congress-led UPA government as a minority one, Ramesh said, "they used words about our Prime Minister which they should not have used. Our leaders have also been insulted by them."
He said that the UPA government provided Rs 2,700 crore to the state under MGNREGA and sanctioned 5,500 km of roads in Bankura and Purulia districts.
He said that the UPA government was also providing funds for women which was being used by the state government as its own 'Anandadhara' programme.
