On World Sparrow Day today, it is going to be a battle between two eagle-eyed ladies in politics wanting to swoop on the Bengal pie - Mamata Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi. While Sonia found it easy to tackle Karuna in Tamil Nadu, thanks to the stinking 2G spectrum file, Mamata has no such baggage. So at 4 pm today, who will blink first - Sonia or Mamata?
Mamata has given the Congress a tough deadline to decide. She has set a 4 pm deadline on Monday; it the Congress keeps mum or makes noises on the seats, she has threatened to go ahead and release the remaining list of 64 candidates now set aside for Congress. "Take it or leave it" is what Mamata has told the Congress.
Unable to stop the steaming-and-fuming Mamata Express, the Congress has requested Sonia Gandhi to decide. The Congress president, who arrived from London late Sunday night, will have no option but to deal with Mamata's deadline.
With the Mahajot alliance between Trinamool Congres and the Congress on the brink of a disaster, Sonia will have to work her magic on Mamata to either extend the deadline of bargain for more seats.
The Congress is keen on the alliance, but does not know how to tackle Mamata. The party is banking on the fact that the last date of filing nominations for the first phase is March 31. That is enough time to make Mamata turn around.
While several options are being worked out, Congress sources say that if Mamata does not let go the two Kolkata seats of Port and Metiabruz, the party will bargain for more seats in south Bengal. At present, the TMC has left the Congress only 20 seats there.
The Congress is also peeved at the quality of seats given by Mamata. Many seats allocated to the Congress are not winnable.
The TMC is ready for a discussion on the quality aspect, not the 4pm deadline.
Source: India Syndicate