PANAJI
Amid aggressive speculation about a possible alliance between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress for the upcoming polls, All India Congress Committee secretary in-charge of Goa Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday tried to steer clear of the conversation.
While Rao described a report on Monday in the national media, which suggested ongoing talks in the Congress about an alliance with the TMC as erroneous, the AICC official was more guarded in his reaction to reports -- once again in the national media -- quoting Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar as saying that alliance talks between the Congress, TMC and the NCP were on.
“There is neither discussion in the Congress regarding an alliance with the TMC nor was there any meeting yesterday regarding that. And they said that leaders (from Goa) have been called to Delhi. Nobody was called to Delhi. Nobody has gone. That was a report which was incorrect,” Rao said, when asked to react to a report on NDTV, which said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was spearheading the dialogue in the party vis a vis an alliance with the Congress.
When asked to react to Sharad Pawar’s comment to the media about talks between the three parties, Rao was more circumspect in his dismissal.
“That you ask Mr Sharad Pawar. I cannot comment on what he has said. I do not know what he said. I cannot react to what he said. He is a tall (leader),” Rao said.
On Tuesday, Pawar in an interaction with the media in Mumbai had said: “We discussed coming together in Goa and the discussions are still on. No decision has been made yet. Goa needs a change and the BJP government needs to be changed”.
While both the TMC and the Congress have been having a go at each ahead of the assembly polls, the TMC made a first outreach to the Congress last week, with its Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra calling for a wider coalition in Goa to take on the ruling BJP.
“Rest assured, we the AITC will do everything possible to defeat BJP in Goa-@Goaforwardparty, @INCGoa @AITC4Goa and #MGP. @Mamataofficial has done it in past & will not shy away from walking extra mile in Goa too,” Moitra had tweeted on January 7.
Responding to the tweet, former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram had said that the Congress was waiting for a formal proposal from the TMC.
“The Congress is capable of defeating the BJP, but if any party wishes to support the Congress, why should I say no? Let us see what the official offer is,” Chidambaram had said.
