New Delhi: A day after West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee's attack, Congress on Sunday reached out
to its ally saying there was need for "better communication"
with Trinamool Congress and the two could re-build trust by
ironing out "disagreements" within closed doors.
Discounting the possibility of Banerjee parting ways with
Congress, senior party leader and Union Minister Salman
Khurshid said there was no need to read too much into
Banerjee's statement that Congress was free to walk out of the
ruling alliance in West Bengal.
"I don't think we should read too much into these things.
I would certainly imagine if we can avoid them, good. Even if
our disagreement we can put them across in closed doors.... I
hope something like this will be worked out," he said here.
He said there will be sometimes a mismatch in (Banerjee's)
expectations and mismatch in the Congress' responses "and
sometimes a mismatch in answering to our constituencies."
"I am sure that Mamataji also has expectations from
people who voted for her to change the ruling establishment in
Bengal after such a long time. But again we are a national
party and we have a lot of expectations that go beyond the
concerns of only one state," he said.
Khurshid asserted, "We all understand her concerns and I
am sure that she also understands our compulsions. I think its
just need for better communications and there isn't lack of
ability on both sides to be able to communicate. I am not
going to believe that they can tempt her, any person like her
into their fold," he said.
Congress-Trinamool Congress ties have been strained with
the Congress' state unit vociferously protesting against
Banerjee's party. The latest issue involves the state
government's move to rename Indira Bhavan in Kolkata which has
been strongly opposed by the Congress leading to a
confrontation between the two allies.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 08, 2012, 19:43