Congress invites parties to form alliance against TMC

Kolkata: The Congress Party on Sunday officially invited all political parties in West Bengal to form alliance against the Trinamool Congress in the upcoming Assembly elections.

“On behalf of Pradesh Congress Committee, I am inviting all the democratic and secular forces in Bengal to join together in order to preserve democratic values and to establish the rule of law in West Bengal,” Pradesh Congress Committee chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said in a press release.

Earlier, Chowdhury said the Congress and the Left parties in poll-bound West Bengal already have an alliance at the lower level and the party high command is not blind to the state unit’s views in favour of a tie-up to take on ruling Trinamool Congress.

State units of the Congress and also CPI(M) have pitched for an alliance.

Congress had contested the last Assembly polls in alliance with Trinamool Congress which led to the ouster of CPI (M)-led Left Front from power after over three decades of rule.

Chowdhury, who was the Minister of State for Railways, dismissed the NDA Government claims that the provisions in the railway budget 2016-17 would help development of eastern India including West Bengal. (ANI)