Trinamool poaching of Congress MLA casts shadow on oppn talks

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress' poaching of the recently won lone Congress MLAs of the West Bengal Assembly has cast its showdown on the ongoing Opposition unity. And enraged AICC accused Trinamool of indulging in poaching that will not help the Opposition cause but will help the BJP.

"Three months after he was elected as a Congress MLA in a historic victory, Bayron Biswas has been lured away by the Trinamool. This is a complete betrayal of the mandate of the people of Sagardighi. Such poaching which has happened earlier in Goa, Meghalaya, Tripura and other states is not designed to strengthen Opposition unity and only serves the BJP's objectives", said Jairam Ramesh, AICC communication in-charge.

The Trinamool actions also comes ahead of the proposed June 12 Opposition unity meeting at Patna.The political circles also think the poaching would further intensify the hostility between Banerjee and PCC president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as it is widely seen as Banerjee's efforts to breach the Baharampur turf of Chowdhury as he had mastered the victory of the Congress candidate in a byelections from an Assembly segment which is part of his LS constituency.