Demand for alliances with self-respect

NEW DELHI: Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s silence on the issue of alliances did not come in the way of two poll-bound states asserting that tie-ups with regional parties should not be at the expense of the Congress.

“Alliances with self-respect” was the message that West Bengal and Tamil Nadu sought to give to the central leadership. West Bengal Congress leader and member of parliament Deepa Dasmunshi took on the Trinamool Congress for its public disagreements with the UPA government’s policies and even joining protests on issues like price rise, despite being part of the government.

The West Bengal leader detailed the feeling of slight that the Congress workers have to deal with on a regular basis. She said that there was little respect shown to the Congress leadership by its ally. “When Mamata Banerjee inaugurates a project in West Bengal, there is no photograph of the Prime Minister or Sonia Gandhi. No courtesy is shown to them,” she said.

She said that often the “ally” is accommodated at the expense of the party. Her sentiments were echoed by Manick Tagore, MP from poll-bound Tamil Nadu.