‘Mamata to take call on AITC-Cong friendship’

SHILLONG, April 18: All India Trinamool Congress’ (AITC) Meghalaya unit chief, Charles Pyngrope on Monday said party high command will decide whether or not the state unit should work in tandem with the Congress against the BJP.
Earlier, AITC president and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee had made an appeal to all opposition parties to unite against the BJP.
Pyngrope said the main vision of AITC strategist and I-PAC head, Prashant Kishore is to come up with a viable alternative to the BJP since no party tried to occupy that space.
He said Kishore is trying to bring parties such as Telangana Rashtra Samithi and YSR Congress together. The Congress may not have leaders but it still has a pan-India base, he added.
Senior Congress leaders welcomed the move but indicated the grand old party will have to play the role of “central pole” of any future national opposition grouping. “So, the idea is to cobble up a coalition which can rise to power,” Pyngrope said.
He said the I-PAC strategists are working in Meghalaya and they have not wound up their operations.
The AITC is preparing to launch its full-fledged election campaign in Meghalaya after the visit of its state in-charge on April 22. Party general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, who looks after party affairs outside West Bengal, will also visit Meghalaya soon.