M A I N   N E W S

11 Cong leaders join Trinamool on poll eve

Kolkata, March 4
The beleaguered Congress in West Bengal suffered a body blow when eight rebel party legislators and three AICC members led by Pradesh Congress Committee Vice-President Saugata Roy joined the Trinamool Congress here today.

The leaders, who announced their decision at a unity convention in presence of Ms Mamata Banerjee, said they were joining the “mainstream opposition” in defiance of the party high command after an alliance move between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress fell flat because of a “secret understanding” of a section of party leadership with the CPM.

Besides Mr Roy, the other legislators were Mr Tapas Roy, Mr Paresh Pal, Dr Anupam Sen, Mr Sibdas Mukherjee, Mr Debi Sankar Panda, Mr Tarak Banerjee and Mr Sital Sardar while Mr Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Mr Pranab Basu and Mr Samir Kumar Roy were the AICC members, who joined the Trinamool Congress.

Mr Roy said all of them had already tendered their resignations from the party’s primary membership in a fax message to AICC President Sonia Gandhi early in the day.

Welcoming the leaders to her party, Ms Banerjee said all of them would be nominated on the Trinamool Congress ticket in the coming assembly elections.

She alleged that the Congress leadership had sold out the party to the CPM as it continued to ignore the popular demand for putting up a common opposition candidate against the Left Front.

“Our sole aim is to dislodge the Left Front. This time there is a bright prospect for bringing in a political change in West Bengal.

With today’s development, the effective strength of the Congress Legislature Party in the state assembly was reduced to 44 from 52. It had earlier lost 22 other members, who switched their loyalty to the Trinamool Congress despite maintaining the old identity inside the House. PTI