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Mamata wants George back in Cabinet

Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi

George Fernandes, Samata Party leader and convenor of the National Democratic Alliance, who has been instrumental in the return of Trinamul Congress to the NDA fold has found a new lobbyist.

The mutual admiration between the leaders of Samata and Trinamul has been portrayed in a letter written to Prime Minister Vajpayee by Dr Nitish Sengupta, Member of Parliament and and a close aide of Mamata Banerjee.

In the letter, he has requested Vajpayee to re-induct former defense minister George Fernandes in the Cabinet in the wake of new revelations regarding the tehelka.com tapes.

Trinamul had left the NDA over the demand for George Fernandes's resignation, just before the assembly elections in West Bengal.

While confirming the letter Dr Sengupta said, "Fernandes is innocent, why should he suffer? He should be taken in (inducted into the Cabinet)."

A key member of Trinamul also spoke to rediff.com about his party's move to rejoin the NDA.

He said, "The local West Bengal Congress sabotaged the chances of Trinamul. They put up the wrong candidates and we lost some 15 seats. Also, the BJP decided to field the candidates in almost all the seats. That cut our votes in some 60 constituencies."

He said that his party has come back to the NDA because 'it (Trinamul) needed Centre's support' to 'fight leftists in West Bengal'.

According to reports, Maneka Gandhi, in the NDA meeting at Vajpayee's residence on Monday, had objected to the re-induction of Trinamul Congress, without even an apology from Mamata for her 'behaviour'.

When asked about it, Sengupta dismissed the question and said, "It's just a woman-to-woman jealousy. She is just a one-member party. Nobody wanted an apology. What matters in NDA is the support of Vajpayeeji and Fernandes, which Mamata Banerjee has."

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