Neither Pranab Mukherjee nor Mamata Banerjee was ready to blink first over the presidential election. Putting the ball in Ms Banerjee’s court, Mr Mukherjee said on Monday he wouldn’t meet her unless he got a positive signal.
“I’m ready to talk to her as and when she is ready to talk to me,” Mr Mukherjee said when asked if he would talk to Ms Banerjee to seek her party’s support.
Within hours, the Mamata camp responded. “Why will she call him first? It’s the responsibility of the person who seeks votes... We came to power here defeating the CPI(M), but he sought the CPI(M)’s support first. Then why does the question of our party’s support arise,” said senior Trinamul leader Subrata Mukhe-rjee.
Close Mamata confidant Firhad Hakim later attacked Mr Mukherjee for “tarnishing Bengal politics” by “bowing before the CPI(M)”.
Meanwhile, Congress-TMC relations sank to a new low on Monday with several Congress MPs and MLAs, in Mr Mukherjee’s presence, telling AICC West Bengal in-charge Shakeel Ahmed that the party should snap its ties with Trinamul Congress. Manas Bhunia, a minister in the Mamata government, said it was “sheer stupidity” on Trinamul’s part not to support Mr Mukherjee.