Cong holds second anti-TMC rally in Kolkata

Kolkata, Jan 4 (IBNS) The Trinamool Congress-Congress slugfest continued in West Bengal with the exchange of barbs only intensifying over renaming of a house after Indira Gandhi and farmers' issue.

The Youth Congress on Wednesday held a rally in Kolkata against the Trinamool Congress-led state government to protest against the minimum paddy support prices for farmers in the state.

The conflict between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Congress became evident on Tuesday over the proposal given by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to rename the historic Indira Bhawan in Salt Lake after poet Nazrul Islam.

The Youth Congress held a demonstration in Kolkata on Tuesday against the proposal made by Banerjee to rename the house- which used to be the resident of former chief minister Jyoti Basu- that is famously known as Indira Bhawan.

Incidentally, TMC is a key alley to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre.

The building is significant to the Congress as Indira Gandhi stayed there during an All India Congress Committee (AICC) convention in 1972. On the other hand, former West Bengal chief minister and veteran communist Jyoti Basu had spent over 20 years of his life at Indira Bhawan till his death in 2010.

The tussle between the two allies at the centre and state deepened when Mamata Banerjee denied to accept the Congress proposed Lokayukta model for the states.

She said that the state government would not accept the Lokayukta model that was offered to them by the central government as the state might have a stronger Lokayukta.

Mamata said: "Why they didn´t raise any question when CPI-M was trying to change the name of the house after Jyoti Basu."

Mamata also raised the old bogey of allegation against the Congress that it is a "B team" of the Left in West Bengal.

On the other hand Congress raised the minimum support price of paddy crops to revamp the financial condition of the state.

Meanwhile, reports said the TMC might also field candidates in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections that is scheduled to take place in Feb.

TMC is likely to contest the poll battle in the state as a part of the Ittehad Front.

Ittehad Front is a coalition of twelve small parties.