Bengal Cong leaders meet Rahul to discuss alliance

West Bengal Congress leaders today conveyed to party Vice President Rahul Gandhi the "sentiments of grassroots workers" seeking an alliance with the Left for the upcoming polls in the state even as there is speculation regarding such a tie-up for taking on the ruling TMC.
"We presented all the facts during our meeting. It is not that I am an advocate of an alliance, but it is the pressure of the grassroots-level workers who are in favour of such a tie-up," state Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury said over the phone after the interaction with Rahul in New Delhi.
"Rahulji gave us a patient hearing and said he will discuss the matter with Congress President Sonia Gandhi. He said a final decision on the matter will be taken soon," he added.

Chowdhury said they have "communicated the desperate feeling of our party workers and common people in Bengal who want an alliance of Congress and Left in order to defeat Trinamool Congress and BJP in Bengal".
Rahul had summoned the state Congress leadership to New Delhi to discuss the political situation and possible alliance with Left in Bengal.
"The meeting was very positive. None of the state leaders was for an alliance with TMC although one or two leaders expressed their opinion in favour of Congress contesting alone", the WBPCC chief said even as he added that "(Gandhi's) single-point agenda is to strengthen the party organisation".

"We told Rahulji how TMC had used us in 2011 and weakened our party since then. He also seemed to be aware of it," state Congress general secretary Om Prakash Mishra said.

Mishra had earlier written twice to the Congress president Sonia advocating an alliance with the Left.
Apart from Chowdhury, state Congress leaders like Pradip Bhattacharya, Manas Bhunia, Abdul Manan, Deepa Dasmunshi, Mausam Benazir Noor and Abhijit Mukherjee were present for the meeting, besides some other senior leaders.
(REOPENS CAL1)
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress declined to make any comment on the speculations regarding Congress-Left tie up in the coming Assembly election.

"We don't want to comment on other party's matters," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.
Asked about the state Congress leadership's meeting with Rahul Gandhi, CPI(M) Politburo member and Left Front chairman Biman Bose said, "Let them (Congress) take a decision. We will comment after that. He (Rahul Gandhi) said that he will speak to the AICC president."
On the possibility of such an alliance, he said, "We talked about people's alliance to defeat TMC and we will continue to say that.