Trinamool ready for alliance with Congress

Stating that the Trinamool Congress was ready to contest all the 42 seats in West Bengal, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that she was prepared to hold talks with those who really wanted to defeat the ruling Communist Party of India – Marxist.

In an obvious reference to the Congress, Banerjee told the Trinamool Congress General Council meeting in Kolkata, "We are the principal opposition party and nobody should be allowed to say that they wanted to talk to us and we refused."

She said that Trinamool Congress was ready to hold talks with those who really wanted to fight the Marxists.

Banerjee said that she was always against division in anti-CPM votes and added that all those who wanted to fight the Marxists should come together.

"But we will not do anything bowing down our head", she said.

Banerjee told the party General Council members that "the coming Lok Sabha election is a serious electoral battle and you have to work unitedly against the CPM and if we could defeat the CPM in the Lok Sabha poll, the Marxists will go from the state before the 2011 assembly poll."

She said that there are only 42 Lok Sabha seats and the party will give tickets to those who have the potential to win. "We will not give nomination to those who can be purchased by the CPI-M," she said.