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Mamata ready for talks with Pawar

Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has described as 'undemocratic' the expulsion of Sharad Pawar, Purno A Sangma and Tariq Anwar from the Congress.

Addressing the media in Calcutta yesterday, Mamata said the action, taken without serving any show-cause notice, was similar to her expulsion from the party.

Taking a dig at the Congress leadership, she said they were misusing an institution for the sake of narrow interests. ''To satisfy someone, they can go to any length,'' she said.

She said the people ''would not be happy to see someone of foreign origin assuming the prime minister's office in the country''.

She said her 'sentiments were with the expelled Congressmen', and that she would welcome them for talks.

She said her party was committed to seat adjustments with the Bharatiya Janata Party and that the process would start in view of the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Reacting to Pawar's expulsion from the Congress, former prime minister Chandra Shekhar said in New Delhi that he would support any decision he took in the greater interests of the country and society.

Speaking to Star News , he said, ''The question Mr Pawar has raised cannot be irrelevant even if two or three chief ministers gather a few hundred or lakh people to organise a rally.''

If liberal countries like the US and Italy have laws and traditions allowing only natural-born citizens to head the nation, ''then why such a hue and cry in India'', he asked.

No party would get a clear majority in the mid-term polls, he added.

He would work to strengthen the Third Front, he said.

UNI

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