New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Sunday alleged the Trinamool Congress (TMC) continued to poach his party leaders despite making an offer of tie-up for the Goa Assembly elections.
Chidambaram, the Congress’ senior election observer for the Goa polls, said that he received no instructions from the party leadership to hold talks with the TMC.
“I received no instructions from our leadership to hold talks with TMC. I am sure our leadership had taken into account all the facts and circumstances. As far as I was concerned, the matter rested there,” he said, PTI reported.
The former union minister also hit out at the TMC for its barbs at the Congress for not forging an alliance with it.
"They entered Goa a few months ago and my distinguished friend, Mamata ji, declared in Goa that TMC had formed an alliance and any other party was welcome to join their alliance,” said Chidambaram.
“The general secretary of TMC declared that TMC will contest all 40 seats. Then, they lured Mr Luizinho Faleiro, Congress MLA, to the TMC,” he added.
Detailing the sequence of events, Chidambaram said the Congress announced its first list of candidates, including the name of sitting MLA Reginald Laurenco, on December 16 last year, adding the latter was four days later admitted to the TMC.
“On December 24, TMC’s vice-president met me and suggested that the two parties should work together in Goa. I agreed to convey the suggestion to our leadership and I promptly did,” he said.
The TMC has joined hands with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) for the Goa Assembly elections.
Polling for the 40-member Goa Assembly will take place in a single phase on February 14.
The counting of votes will take place on March 10.