Congress battles double whammy-NCP, TMC

Mumbai/Kolkata/New Delhi, Jan 9 (IBNS) Congress has more than one ally to battle now as conflict with its key alliance partners in the United Progressive Alliance intensifies, with Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) adding to the woes created by Trinamool Congress.

While a Trinamool Congress youth rally in Kolkata on Monday afternoon is all set to lambast the Congress as spelled out by TMC leaders, NCP chief Sharad Pawar´s deadline to Congress to finalise seat-sharing for the Mumbai municipal elections ends the same day.

NCP and Congress have failed to arrive at a consensus on seat arrangements yet.

Media reports said a section of leaders in Congress were against any poll alliance with NCP in Mumbai citing them as a minor force in the financial capital of India.

But no seat sharing can jolt the alliance and further weaken the Congress in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata the TMC knives are out to slam Congress in their first public rally against their big ally in centre and a junior partner in the state.

While party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may not attend the rally, her party colleagues will be present in full force and will spare not words to strike at Congress to get even in public forum.

Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that Congress is working with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) to topple her government.

"Congress and CPI-M are working together," Banerjee said, adding that "Congress is free to leave the alliance."

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi tried to play down the outburst saying the differences with coalition parties occur and it will be sorted out.

While the Congress heads the coalition government at the Centre, with the second largest pool of lawmakers, the TMC often arm-twists its larger ally over administrative decisions and reforms on issues like fuel price hike, FDI in retail and the Lokpal Bill.

The two parties form a love-hate alliance to rule West Bengal, where the TMC holds an overwhelming majority.

Relations between the two partners have significantly worsened since Banerjee forced the Cabinet at the Centre to backtrack on a move to throw open India's $450 billion retail sector to foreign investors last month, demanding that a consensus between "all stakeholders" be formed.

The year 2011 also ended on a terse note for the two allies as TMC MPs publicly derided the Congress for the failure of the long-delayed anti-graft Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha, while they themselves were counter-accused of siding with the Opposition.

Relationship between Congress and TMC touched new low over the renaming of the Indira Bhawan, a house in Kolkata where late chief minister Jyoti Basu used to stay for decades.

Congress harshly criticised Chief Minister Banerjee's proposal to rename the historic Indira Bhawan in Salt Lake after poet Nazrul Islam.

Named after former slain Congress party icon Indira Gandhi, who stayed there during an All India Congress Committee (AICC) convention in 1972, the building had been used by former chief minister and veteran communist Jyoti Basu as his residence till his death in 2010.

Youth wing of Congress organized two anti -TMC rallies in Kolkata in recent times over two separate issues.