Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: At a time when the Congress-TMC alliance has run into rough weather over Mamata’s blunder of taking on Sonia directly over Pranab’s candidacy for presidential polls, the key UPA ally is looking for a way to save its face.
So while it is sticking to Kalam as the party’s choice for president, it is not quite willing to jump off the UPA ship just yet. The party today reiterated that it would like to continue as a part of the ruling alliance at the Centre.
“The Trinamool Congress is with UPA and doesn’t want to pull out from the UPA,” said party MP Kunal Ghosh while talking to Zee News.
The statement made clear the intentions of an ally now scurrying for cover. With Mulayam pulling away from Mamata, TMC has been forced into a corner. In this situation, it would not like to lose support of the Centre, especially at a time when West Bengal is facing a financial crisis.
However, Ghosh tried to put on a brave face and said TMC would continue to back APJ Abdul Kalam as its presidential candidate.
After Mamata’s back stabbing act, Congress too had hardened its stand. It is believed that Trinamool Congress was not invited at the UPA meet on Friday.
Meanwhile, ending days of intense speculation, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday had announced the name of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s as UPA presidential candidate.
After being nominated as UPA’s presidential choice, the Finance Minister reached out to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, saying "Mamata is like my sister, and I seek her support".
It remains to be seen what Trinamool’s next move would be if Kalam opts out of contesting.
First Published: Saturday, June 16, 2012, 12:51