Trinamool warming to Vajpayee Govt.

By Our Special correspondent

KOLKATA, MAY 25. Ms. Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress today praised the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Government for inviting Pakistan's Gen. Pervez Musharraf for reaching a permanent solution to the Kashmir problem, signalling a qualitative change in its attitude towards the Vajpayee Government.

``The invitation (to Gen. Musharraf) is most welcome. We hope it will take a concrete shape,'' said Mr. Sudip Bandopadhyay, Trinamool MP and spokesperson.

At a news conference, Mr. Bandopadhyay, however, said the possibility of the Trinamool returning to the NDA did not arise as the issue had not been discussed by the party at any level. At the same time he admitted that the issue might have been taken up at individual levels in the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool. ``No official talks have taken place.''

According to observers, the Trinamool's praise for the Vajpayee Government was significant in that Ms. Banerjee, for the first time since leaving the NDA, had good words for the Prime Minister.

The last time she spoke about the NDA Government was immediately after the Assembly election, accusing it of collaborating with the Election Commission and the State administration to defeat her.

Mr. Bandopadhyay said nine MPs including the party rebel, Mr. Ajit Panja, had jointly decided to quit the NDA in March. The letter announcing the decision to part ways with the NDA was, however, yet to be sent to the Lok Sabha Speaker. ``This is a technical matter and if we are required to send it to the concerned person, we will do so. There is no hurry since the parliament session is far away.''

Asked whether this was a ploy to remain in the NDA, Mr. Bandopadhyay, one of Ms. Banerjee's key aides, insisted that the party did not consider it so urgent as to take it up in the party forum. ``We wrote to the Prime Minister stating our decision to quit the NDA. He may not have sent the letter to the Speaker.''

Mr. Bandopadhyay also made a significant departure from the Trinamool's earlier stand, avoiding mention of the Centre as part of the alleged conspiracy to defeat the Trinamool in the poll. ``The ruling Leftists forged an unholy nexus with the EC, the police and the administration and rigged the election.''

The party was keeping an eye on the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, due up within a year, indicating it would bring in a great deal of changes in political configurations at the national level.

The Trinamool leader admitted that differences existed in the alliance with the Congress, evident from the charges and counter- charges of ``backstabbing'' levelled by the two parties after the elections. As Mr. Bandopadhyay saw it, the alliance was forged within a short notice and the workers of both the parties had little or no time to reach an understanding.

On the just-concluded election, he said it was proved that Ms. Banerjee was the undisputed leader of the opposition in the State. Ms. Banerjee would soon visit New Delhi to meet the President with a petition to look into her allegations that the ruling communists had rigged the Assembly election.

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