Mamata drops foreign origin8217; issue

After undertaking many tirades against the Congress on the candidature of a person of foreign origin for the post of prime minister, this drastic modification of Mamata8217;s stand is likely to discomfit the Bharatiya Janata Party the most.

Mamata had been in the forefront along with the BJP in condemning the Congress for proposing Sonia Gandhi8217;s name as the party8217;s prime ministerial candidate.

On whether the move would put the TC to electoral disadvantage as the party8217;s main rival, the Communist Party of India Marxist, had already extended support to Sonia8217;s candidature, Mamata said, 8220;In West Bengal the electoral calculations will be based on other issues like economicstagnation of Bengal, industrial development and unemployment. We have decided to concentrate on them8221;.

She added that her party had not taken any decision on joining the National Democratic Alliance NDA floated by the BJP and it allies. However, a final decision on the issue would be taken when her party meets on June 26, she said.

The seat-adjustment talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and L K Advani during her stay in Delhi, 8220;were smooth and fruitful,8221; Mamata said, adding that, 8220;Till now, both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have taken a final decision on 41 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats8221;.

Discussions were still on over the Bankura seat in exchange of which her party had offerred the State BJP any of the four among Jalpaiguri, Jhargram, Darjeeling and Jangipur, she said.