Mamata still not clear on NDA: Panja

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL. 28. The dissident Trinamool Congress leader, Mr. Ajit Panja, today sharpened his attack against the party leadership, accusing it of ``fooling'' the people by not taking steps to complete the process of pulling out from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Mr. Panja, who disagreed with the Trinamool decision to come out of the NDA, today held separate meetings with the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, here. While refusing to divulge the details of his discussions with Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani, the former Union Minister said the general political scene in the country and in West Bengal were discussed. He discounted reports that he was floating another outfit or joining the BJP.

It is understood Mr. Panja had agreed to campaign with BJP leaders, and also share a platform with the Prime Minister at a rally in the State on April 7.

Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Panja said even though Trinamool had pulled out from the NDA, its chief, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, had so far not written to the Lok Sabha Speaker or the President on snapping its links with the NDA. The withdrawal from the NDA was undertaken with an eye on the minority votes in the West Bengal elections, and by not communicating to the Lok Sabha Speaker, she had kept her options on the NDA open.

Mr. Panja was sceptical that the Congress-Trinamool alliance would make it to Writers Building, saying that after allying with the Congress, Trinamool had lost a ``golden opportunity'' of coming to power in the State; it had handed over the State on a platter to the Left Front.

Even though he disputed the adoption of a resolution by the Trinamool Parliamentary Party on March 15 to withdraw from the NDA, Mr. Panja said all that Ms. Banerjee had done was to send a letter to the Prime Minister communicating her decision.

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