Congress trying to woo the Left: BJP

July 31st, 2009 AGARTALA - Road connectivity between Tripura and the rest of the country was cut-off as activists of Congress Party blocked the highway to Assam and other states in the region. The Congress Party launched a protest campaign against the Left Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

May 11th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday said the Left parties did not consider Congress party "untouchable". But they were working to form a Third Front government at the Centre and might join it if they could play any meaningful role in it.

May 11th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday said the Left would join the government if it can play a meaningful role in policy making and implementation. Addressing at the 'meet the press' programme here, he said, "We are trying to form a Third Front Government at the Centre with like-minded secular and democratic parties and the Left will play a meaningful role in it." Keeping his options open, he said, "Let the elections be over and results be announced.

May 11th, 2009 KOLKATA/SHIMLA - Trinamool Congress (TMC) Chief Mamata Banerjee has expressed confidence that the Congress-led coalition will form government without Communists' support. Addressing a news conference here on Sunday, Banerjee said, "Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance will remain strong.

May 7th, 2009 COIMBATORE - Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat has ruled any tie up with the Congress post-polls. "I want to tell the Congress that if you think after the elections the Left parties will bail you out, then you are living in your own dream world.

May 6th, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress (TMC) President Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday sent out an ultimatum to Congress party to chose between TMC and Left in West Bengal. The warning came after AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi told newspersons on Tuesday that the Congress could consider a post-poll alliance with Left parties if they have enough numbers.

May 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan on Tuesday said the Left would not support Congress-led government at the Centre. Reacting to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's suggestion that the Congress did not rule out a post-poll tie-up with the Left parties, Bardhan said, "Congress is nervous about the fact that they will not have numbers.

May 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Rejecting AICC General secretary's claims that the Congress and the Left parties will form a post-poll alliance, CPI (M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury has said that his party was working for a non-Congress, non-BJP secular alternative combination. "We are working for a non-Congress, non-BJP secular alternative combination to provide a government that will effect a shift in the country's policy trajectory in favour of the people," Yechury said.

May 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said his party had ideological differences with the Left parties but was confident of their support to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the post poll scenario. Stating that the 'field is open' for post-poll alliances, Rahul Gandhi said: 'We will do better than last time.

May 4th, 2009 PATNA - Putting an end to speculation about aligning with the Congress or the Left parties after the polls, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said he and his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) were part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and would remain with the alliance. 'We are already in the NDA and will remain with it after the polls,' Nitish Kumar told newspersons Monday when asked about reports of his likely move to align with either the Congress or the Left parties after the Lok Sabha elections.

May 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday accused Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee of indulging in shadow-boxing against West Bengal's ruling Left Front in the company of the Congress. Referring to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's media interviews in which he has said that the Congress was open to a post-poll alliance with the Left, BJP national spokesperson S.S.

April 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - United Progressive Alliance (UPA) leaders Thursday wooed the Left to form a government after the Lok Sabha elections but Marxist leader Prakash Karat declared that his party would not prop up the Congress again. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan said they were open to taking support from the Left, which gave crucial backing to the outgoing Congress-led UPA government until July last year.

March 13th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal's ruling Left Front Thursday termed the Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance for the Lok Sabha elections as an unholy nexus and asked them to clarify the basis of their understanding. 'People of West Bengal don't know on what basis the Congress and Trinamool joined hands in the Lok Sabha elections,' Left Front chair Biman Bose said.

February 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Tuesday said it had 'no problem' in joining hands with the Left parties and all options were open for alliances after the April-May Lok Sabha elections. 'All options are open.

February 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a significant development, the Congress Tuesday said it had 'no problem' in tying up with the Left parties and all options were open for alliances after the April-May Lok Sabha elections. The Left parties had pulled out support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government over the India-US nuclear deal in July 2008.