CALCUTTA, Jan 1: The West Bengal PCC today hinted it would take action against former chief minister Siddharta Shankar Ray if he continued to associate himself with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamul Congress. ``We are keeping a watch on Ray's activities and statements. The PCC executive has authorised its president, Somen Mitra, to take action against Ray if the situation warrants,'' PCC spokesman, Manas Bhuniya, said.Bhuniya's warning comes in the wake of Ray's announcement here yesterday that he would campaign for the Trinamul Congress for the Lok Sabha polls and indication of his willingness to contest the Calcutta north-west seat on its ticket.Ray had also flayed the Congress for its ``unceremonious expulsion'' of Mamata Bannerjee, who, he said, was committed to fight the CPI(M). Condemning what he described as Ray's hobnobbing with the BJP's political allies, Bhuniya said, ``During assembly polls under his chief ministership in 1977, he refused to contest a seat, defying party orders. He deserted the party after losing the race for AICC presidentship to the official Congress candidate.''Charging Ray with trying to bring about a Trinamul-BJP tie-up, Bhuniya said, ``He deserts the Congress in time of crisis. Now that we are upbeat with Sonia Gandhi agreeing to campaign for the elections, he has once more reared his head to put the party in difficulty here.''Referring to Ray's tenure as chief minister between 1972 and 1977, he said, ``People here cannot forget his misuse of the MISA, torture of rural people in the name of levy, setting up the Wangchu Commission against his own ministerial colleagues and arresting senior Congress leaders.''Launching a broadside against the Trinamul Congress, he said its proposed `Bangla Bacchao Front' (Save Bengal Front) would ``not cut much ice'' during the coming elections.``The issue is to save India its secular character and democratic institutions. Tying up with a communal party like the BJP will not solve the problem,'' he said.Asked whether any decision had been taken about the list of candidates for the forthcoming elections, he said the PCC would finalise the list at its meeting next week. Congress working committee members, Manmohan Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad who are arriving here tonight would meet the PCC to discuss the matter, he said. Ray had yesterday lambasted the Congress high command for its ``lack of interest'' in fighting political adversaries like the CPI(M), saying the Congress might support a government with the CPI(M) in it after the polls.
