WB Cong's U-turn: 'Want to work in harmony with Trinamool'

Apparently toeing the central party leadership's move to keep Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in good humour ahead of the Presidential poll, the West Bengal Congress, which had threatened to pull out of the state government, on Wednesday changed its track and said it wanted to work in harmony with the ally.

"We fought the Left Front and won the election and formed the government. The TMC is also a partner of the UPA government at the Centre. We want to work together peacefully, harmoniously and jointly in West Bengal," WB Congress Legislative Party leader Mohammad Sohrab, known to be close to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, told PTI.

Asked whether the CLP was still sticking to its resolution adopted last week that it was 'feeling uncomfortable' in the Mamata Banerjee government, Sohrab said, "Let us not rake up words like uncomfortable."

On the WBPCC's earlier contention wanting the high command to give it permission to walk out of the state government, he said, "We have said that earlier. But now the situation has changed much.

"In a democracy there can be different opinions. We want to work in a good way. At the same time we also appeal to the TMC and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to support Pranab Mukherjee in the presidential election," he said.

Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad had on Wednesday said that Mamata Banerjee had not crossed any limit by suggesting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's name for the President's post and wanted the Trinamool Congress supremo to remain a valued ally.