Trinamool not dependent on Congress, says Bengal Minister

KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress is not dependent on the Congress, rather the Congress is anxiously waiting for its decision on presidential election, a senior minister in the Mamata Banerjee government today claimed.

"We are not dependent on Congress, rather the Congress is eagerly waiting for our decision on Presidential poll," Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim said.

Flaying Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury's denunciation of Mamata's negative stand on Pranab Mukherjee, the minister said he was not bothered about what he said.

"People know the stature of our leader," Hakim said. Chowdhury on being asked about Hakim's statement said, "Some people are there to shout for their leader, I don't like to comment on them."

Hakim said Congress was free to quit the Mamata Banerjee Government in the state.

"The Congress is free to leave the Mamata Banerjee government, if it wants. There will not be any crisis," Hakim said referring to WBPCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya's threat to withdraw Congress ministers from the government after Mamata's rejection of Pranab Mukherjee's candidature.