August 30, 2010
Mamata free to air view on Azad – Pranab
In an indication that Congress is keen to preserve its alliance with Trinamool Congress for the next assembly polls in Bengal, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee came out in defence of Mamata Banerjee for her stand on the Maoist issue on Sunday morning, saying she was free to air her views. “Just because Mamata is a part of UPA doesn’t mean she cannot have her independent opinion. If somebody feels the Maoist problem can be solved through dialogue, there is no objection to that. It doesn’t mean she has any links with Maoists,” Mukherjee said at Calcutta Press Club. The Congress high command is well aware of Mamata’s take on the Maoist issue, he said. “UPA is fully aware of her position in respect of Azad’s killing. We had a long discussion with her in the presence of the Prime Minister and (home minister) P Chidambaram. She had stated that if Azad was killed because he was trying to negotiate with the government, then it needs to be examined,” he said.
Courtesy: The Times of India
Image Courtesy: Newskerala.com
