Kolkata: The war of words between Trinamool Congress and Congress in West Bengal over Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for the Presidential post further escalated today with a top TC leader accusing the coalition partner of indulging in dirty politics to malign his party.
"Congress is attacking Trinamool Congress in a dirty manner. They should themselves judge what they are doing. Congress is alienated from the public and they have taken recourse to maligning our party," Trinamool Congress Secretary General and Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.
"Mamata Banerjee's popularity is growing which was evident from the success in the recent civic polls where Trinamool Congress won four out of six municipal bodies. The party won the two Assembly seats where bypolls were held," Chatterjee said.
He said the Trinamool Congress Legislature Party had authorised party supremo Mamata Banerjee to take a stand on the presidential election.
The remark comes a day after Trinamool minister Firhad Hakim dared the Congress to leave the government.
At a recent legislature party meeting, the state Congress had taken a resolution that they were no longer comfortable in the Mamata Banerjee Cabinet and conveyed this to the party High Command.
Congress has two Cabinet ministers and four junior ministers in the West Bengal government.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, June 17, 2012, 21:04