Kanhaiya's 'campaign' will not affect TMC prospects: Mamata

Kolkata

"Let them come. How does it matter? It is a democratic country. Anyone can come for campaigning. It will not have any impact on the prospect of TMC," the West Bengal chief minister said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today said in Delhi that Kumar, as a Left activist, will 'campaign' for the Left parties in the five states where elections are due this year.

West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will go to polls in April and May.

Kumar is a leader of All India Students' Federation, the students' wing of CPI.

"Our people also fought for them in Parliament," she said referring to the the party MPs who protested against the government action on Kumar in Parliament.

"Let them think about Kerala first. I have decided to go to Kerala and expose the nexus between Congress and CPI(M)," she said.

Talks are on about a tie-up between Congress and CPI(M) for the Assembly polls in West Bengal but the two parties are rivals in Kerala which will also go to polls.

Alleging that in some places in the state, Congress, CPI(M) and BJP have fought together, Banerjee said "TMC does not do this and does not indulge in such acts."

"I am not concerned with any such alliance, because ours is a grand alliance with the people who will judge us by the work we have done in the five years since 2011 and bring us back with more conviction," she said.

"I want to remind you that way back in 1997 I had said CPI(M) and Congress have a hidden understanding, we had formed Trinamool Congress in protest against this," Banerjee claimed.

"We had said we won't remain with this Congress, which has an understanding with CPI(M) giving up on its ideology and termed it watermelon, which is green outside and red within," the TMC chairperson, who had defeated the Left Front after its 34-year long rule, said.

She pooh-poohed the strength of Congress in some North Bengal districts, including its stronghold Murshidabad and Malda districts, saying results may prove to be different.

Banerjee claimed Congress had sabotaged her party in the 2001 elections by putting up independent candidates against TMC candidates, despite an alliance.

"We had a seat adjustment after that with NDA as Congress and CPI(M) were jointly attacking us," she said, attributing it to the statesmanship of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Asked about the promptness with which her party came out with a candidate list for all 294 Assembly seats within an hour of announcement of six-phase elections in the state by the Election Commission, Banerjee said "we are ready with almost everything.

"We will unveil our manifesto next Friday," she added.