Kolkata: Contrary to speculation in the
political circles in Kolkata, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata
Banerjee on Thursday maintained a studied silence on relations with
the Congress days after the Congress high command extended an
olive branch expressing readiness to hold consultation on
contentious issues.
Addressing a largely-attended panchayati raj convention
of the party, Banerjee during the nearly hour-long speech
mainly targeted Opposition CPI-M and a section of the media
which, she said, had launched "an orchestrated campaign
against her government" on issues like its performance in the
health sector.
"The CPI-M, which has been rejected by the people in the
election, has started criticising even before I took oath as
chief minister. They have launched a motivated campaign
against us when my government, which is in office for only
eight months, is making untiring efforts to improve the
situation," she said.
She alleged that a section of the media was also
launching an "orchestrated and motivated campaign" against her
government regarding hospital services and child deaths.
"People will see through this motivated campaign," she
said.
The relation between the two alliance partners took a
nosedive recently after a minor ministerial reshuffle when a
minister of state, belonging to the Congress, openly
criticised Banerjee's performance after being stripped of two
of three departments of his portfolio.
Congress in-charge for West Bengal Shakeel Ahmed had
recently described Mamata as a "valued ally" and stressed that
no party leader ever said that Congress would dump Trinamool
Congress after the Uttar Pradesh elections.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 19, 2012, 22:17