Left isn’t bad, CPI-M-led front is: Mamata

October 1st, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Thursday accused the Congress of breaching the rules of alliance politics, hours after the latter formed the civic board in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation with support from the West Bengal's ruling Left Front (LF). The Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), is a staunch opponent of the Trinamool Congress, a coalition partner of the Congress in the central government.

June 21st, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday asked the central government to declare three West Bengal districts of West Mindapore, Bankura and Purulia as disturbed area and initiate measures for restoring peace and giving relief to people. Speaking at a party programme here, Banerjee said opposition parties and the masses did not have faith in the state's Left Front government.

May 19th, 2009 KOLKATA - After leaving the Left Front battered in the Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is now eyeing its constituents, the Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP). Banerjee appealed to the Forward Bloc and RSP to switch sides and join her in ousting Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) while participating in an interactive programme on Bengali television channel Star Ananda Monday night.

May 17th, 2009 KOLKATA - After the electoral drubbing to the ruling Left front in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress Sunday reiterated that it wants early assembly elections held in the state. It also said it was confident that the Congress would have the party 'on board' in the new United Progressive Alliance government.

May 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the verdict in the 2009 general elections in West Bengal was a vote against the continuance of Left rule. Thanking the people of Bengal for their support and for coming out and voting "despite atrocities by the CPI(M)", she said the people had shown support for change in the state.

May 10th, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Sunday said Maoist guerrillas of West Bengal were dummies planted by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) to split the anti-Left votes in the state. 'The so-called Maoists are nothing but dummy organisations of the CPI-M in the state.

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 27th, 2009 JANGIPUR - Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is sharing the dais with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for the first time in eight years, slammed the Left parties for their failure to support the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government on the nuclear deal issue. "To meet the growing energy requirement, we went for the nuclear deal, but the Left parties opposed us saying it was not required," Sonia Gandhi said while addressing a joint election rally in Jangipur in West Bengal's Murshidabad District on Monday.

April 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee filed her nomination for the South Kolkata parliamentary constituency on Wednesday. Her main CPI (M) opponent, Rabin Deb also filed his nomination today.

April 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - It was an unusual sight. Residents of South Kolkata were startled to find hundreds of Mamata Banerjees walking in a procession, canvassing for votes for the Trinamool Congress chief.

April 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - It was a rare occasion when 'didi' saw something good in the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front in West Bengal. 'The Left Front ran the state more or less properly from 1977 till 1984 or 1987.

March 27th, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Friday charged her former ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with having put up candidates in all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in order to help the state's ruling Left Front. Banerjee also accused the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) of having blackmailed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre every now and then for enjoying the loaves of office during the time it provided outside support.

March 12th, 2009 KOLKATA - Conceding that there were 'shortcomings' in the Left Front government's land reforms programme, West Bengal's Transport and Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty Wednesday said the front would have to make way for an improved alternative in due course of time. 'There are some shortcomings in our land reforms project.

March 2nd, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal state Congress president Pranab Mukherjee and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Sunday night held talks to forge an alliance between the two parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Senior Congress leader K.

January 2nd, 2009 NANDIGRAM - Mamata Banerjee, chief of West Bengal's principal opposition party Trinamool Congress, Saturday said the state's Left Front government was nearing its end as the people were determined to bring in a change. Addressing a rally in this East Midnapore district area, which is slated to witness an assembly by-poll Monday, Banerjee urged the electorate to guide the state's people to the change.