Cong will respect coalition dharma in Bengal: Ramesh

With the recent strain with ally Trinamool Congress fresh in mind, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the Congress would respect "coalition dharma" in West Bengal, but would continue its 'legitimate' political activities without hurting any party.

''We are part of a coalition. It involves following the coalition dharma ... We intend to respect the coalition. We will not do anything to hurt it. But this does not mean that our legitimate political activities will take a back seat. This we will do without hurting any political party,'' Ramesh told the media in Kolkata.

The strain between the two coalition partners came to the fore after the Trinamool Congress opposed the Lokayaukta provisions of the Lokpal Bill and over renaming Indira Bhavan at Salt Lake where Indira Gandhi had stayed during AICC session in 1972.

Describing the Congress as the 'A-team' of the country, he said, ''We are the most important political party in the country. We have a presence in every state, district and block. We intend to (maintain) this,'' he said.

Asked if he was seeing signs of good governance in the state with the installation of the Trinamool Congress-Congress coalition government after three decades of Left rule, Ramesh said, ''I see a revolutionary change in West Bengal after 34 years. And Congress is part of the change.''

Without naming the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Front, he said, ''What happened in 34 years was that one political formation grew (in the state) and its rivals were bumped off. In West Bengal political rivalry spills into violence. This does not happen in other states.''

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