Pranab Mukherjee hits back at Trinamool Congress; says no one is at someone's mercy

Hitting back at the Trinamool Congress, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee today sought to remind the party's chief Mamata Banerjee that in alliance politics none was at the 'mercy' of another.
   
Apparently chiding Banerjee who had yesterday said that her party was not at the mercy of anyone, the West Bengal Congress chief said, "In a coalition government, none is at the mercy of somebody. All partners have equal respect. That is why we have not brought the land acquisition bill since they (Trinamool) have reservations."
   
Noting that an alliance did not mean liquidation of the Congress, Mukherjee said his party's alliance with the DMK dated back to 1971 and with the NCP when she was in the NDA. "Politically where was she at that time?"

He pointed out that in the 2001 assembly elections, Congress had allied with Trinamool on its terms denying tickets to 16 sitting MLAs to fight the Left Front.

"She failed to win, broke the alliance and again returned to NDA," he said.
   
On Banerjee's statement that the situation has now changed, Mukherjee said without naming her said it was indeed so before the Lok Sabha elections in May last year, (when Banerjee was the lone Trinamool MP).
   
"But we had given 28 seats to them and contested only in 14 seats although we had six MPs. According to their strength we have given them berths in the Union ministry."

Mukherjee said Congressmen had also worked hard and contributed during the last Lok Sabha poll and Trinamool's strength had gone up from one to 19.

Congress had allied with Trinamool to defeat the CPI-M which had withdrawn support to the UPA one government, he said stressing that tieups were made during Lok Sabha and assembly elections and there was no point in raising the issue in a
civic election.

Despite a Congress-Trinamool alliance for the May 30 civic elections failing to materialise, he said there was no problem at the national level.

"The (Congress-led) coalition government at the Centre will not collapse for even a day. It will sail through with ease for a full five years."

Apparently referring to Trinamool's charge against him of being soft on CPI-M, he said, "I am one of the oldest members in the Lok Sabha. I have good relations with everyone. I am not a man of yesterday. As a leader of the house it is my duty to interact with other opposition parties. It is my constitutional responsibility."
       
He ridiculed Banerjee for the statement that there was only CPI-M and Trinamool and none in between in the state. "They may think that the people are fools, but in India it is a multi-party democracy."
   
Mukherjee also urged people not to vote for those who had won on Congress tickets in the last civic election and then switched over to Trinamool. "It has become order of the day, it should be changed."