SHILLONG, July 2: The All India Trinamool Congress has ruled out any alliance with the BJP or its allies in the state but said the party is open to an alliance with like-minded parties. AITC leader, George B Lyngdoh said the party will not align with the ideology and ethos of the BJP or its allies.
The Congress is the only party in the state which is not a BJP ally. However, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee president, Vincent H Pala has already ruled out an alliance with any political party, including the Trinamool, ahead of Assembly elections next year.
On whether the AITC will forge an alliance with the Congress, Lyngdoh said, “There has been no such discussion and we stand by the statement of our national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee. We are open to pre-poll alliance but so far there has been no discussion on the matter.”
He said the party is in the process of “fielding” its probable candidates in all 60 seats.
During his recent visit to the state, Banerjee had said the AITC is open to pre-poll alliance with like-minded parties.
Asked about the possibility of the Congress and the AITC working together, Lyngdoh said, “As of now, there is no approach, so we do not have any idea about future offers. But the Trinamool is open to any kind of alliance. We stand by whatever our national general secretary has said.”
Pala had stated Banerjee should have refrained from making a personal attack on Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma. But Lyngdoh said Banerjee had only voiced the sentiments and words that are in circulation.
“When it is about governance, everything is public,” Lyngdoh said, adding, “We are not talking about personal issues here but governance.”
