Mamata an important ally: Ambika

KOLKATA: In the backdrop of a widening gulf between Congress and Trinamool Congress, particularly after the Bengal chief minister's last minute pullout from the Teesta water sharing pact with Bangladesh, information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni met Mamata Banerjee on Friday as an unofficial peace emissary at a time when UPA is on shaky ground.
The two leaders emerged smiling after the 40-minute meeting, sending out strong vibes in favour of the coalition. "The West Bengal chief minister has spoken to me about her development plans for her state and the people here. I shall convey her message to the Prime Minister and her concerns will be duly addressed," Soni told reporters at Writers' Buildings, with Mamata and minister of state for I&B C M Jatua by her side.
"Her (Mamata's) views on the Teesta water sharing agreement have already reached the Prime Minister. She spoke to me about it today and I shall convey her version to the PM," said Soni. "The Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, is a respected and important ally and we would like to take her along with us," Soni told reporters later at the annual convocation of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.
Friday's meeting assumed significance as Mamata has recently made her opposition clear to two major initiatives of the central government. The first instance was when she pulled out of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Bangladesh visit last week and the second when she skipped the National Integration Council meeting in Delhi earlier this week. When Mamata refused to be party to the Teesta agreement as she felt it would hurt the interests of West Bengal, the pact couldn't be signed. The Bengal CM caused more discomfort to the Congress by expressing her opposition to the Centre's Communal Violence (Prevention) Bill, siding with NDA on the issue.
And now, the Trinamool Congress has also registered its protest against the petrol price hike, saying it wasn't consulted before the announcement on Thursday. Soni said she spoke to Mamata on the fuel price hike. "The chief minister has expressed her concern on the matter and I promised her that I would convey it to the Prime Minister," Soni said.
"This is the first time I am in Bengal since Mamata became the chief minister. I am very happy with her development plans for the state," the Union I&B minister said at Writers' Buildings on Friday.
Soni met the Trinamool supremo on the sidelines of her visit here in connection with two official functions including the SRFTI convocation. "We discussed plans of revamping SRFTI. The minister of state for information and broadcasting C M Jatua is here. Together, we shall ensure that plans about SRFTI are implemented. We are going to work on the CM's proposal."