New Delhi, March 13
In spite of differences on Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin issue, P.A. Sangma-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party today merged with Mamata-Banerjee-led All-India Trinamool Congress to form a new party to contest the Lok Sabha poll as an NDA partner.
The new party, Nationalist Trinamool Party, to be headed by Mamata Banerjee will contest the elections with flower and grass symbol of the Trinamool Congress, the two leaders announced at a joint conference here today.
Leaders of the new party met the Election Commissioner to inform it about the merger.
“Our idea is to work together for expansion in the entire eastern and north-eastern region and strengthening the NDA,” they said.
However, both leaders made it clear that they had differences of opinion on Ms Sonia Gandhi’s ‘foreign origin’, but would put the issue on the backseat for a mutually beneficial patch-up.
Declining to spell out clearly whether she supported Mr Sangma on the foreign origin issue or not, Ms Banerjee said, “It has been his stand for long and we don’t want him to change it now. We want Mr Sangma to lead us and both of us will work together to contest elections under the leadership of Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” she said.
In reply to questions, Mr Sangma categorically stated that he would not change his stand. “The foreign origin issue has been the core issue and I never compromised on it. There is no difference of opinion between us on this”, he said.
On being pestered for a definite answer regarding her stand, a visibly annoyed Ms Banerjee shot back, “Why are you interested in this particular question. It’s not fair”.
In the forth coming elections the nominated candidates of the new party would contest as AITC candidates since the merger process would be completed after the election process was over, the leaders said.
After the formalisation of merger, the party’s nominees would be deemed to have contested elections as Nationalist Trinamool Congress candidates.
Mr Sangma, who recently parted ways with Mr Sharad Pawar, was denied the NCP’s election symbol by the Election Commission.
