The war of words between Congress and Trinamool Congress continued unabated with WBPCC chief Pranab Mukherjee saying no party should make the "mistake" that CPI(M) had made by withdrawing support to the UPA-I government, as in alliance politics none was at the "mercy" of another.
Apparently chiding TC chief Mamata Banerjee who had yesterday said her party was not at the mercy of anyone, Mukherjee said, "No one should repeat the mistake that CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat had made by withdrawing support to the Manmohan Singh government (UPA-I)...In a coalition government, none is at the mercy of somebody. All partners have equal respect."
"If we could run the government with 147 MPs in the past, we can run the government with 206 MPs now," Mukherjee, who is also the Union Finance minister, said.
Noting that an alliance did not mean liquidation of the Congress, Mukherjee said his party's alliance with the DMK dated back to 1971 and with the NCP when Mamata was in the NDA. "Politically where was she at that time?"
He pointed out that in the 2001 assembly elections, Congress had allied with TC on its terms denying tickets to 16 sitting MLAs to fight the Left Front.
"She (Mamata) failed to win, broke the alliance and again returned to NDA," the Congress leader said.
On Mamata's statement that the situation has now changed, Mukherjee said without naming her, "It was indeed so before the Lok Sabha elections in May last year (when she was the lone Trinamool MP). PTI
