Mamata invites Congress to join her govt

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has invited its ally Congress to join the new government to be headed by her in West Bengal.

Banerjee, during a nearly 50-minute meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at his south Kolkata residence on Saturday, proposed that Congress should join the ministry to be headed by her.

Emerging from the meeting, Mamata told media persons: "We were a strong coalition and the assembly election result is a testimony to that. We will remain a strong coalition to form a good government".

Asked if Congress would join the Mamata-led government, Shakil Ahmed, incharge of Congress affairs in West Bengal, separately said: "We will elicit the views of our newly-elected legislators on the issue on Sunday".

Ahmed and Mukherjee will hold talks with PCC leaders on Sunday morning on the proposal of joining the Mamata-led ministry.

Mamata said she and Mukherjee would go to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi to invite them to the swearing in of the new government on a date which suits the convenience of the two top leaders.
Mamata's aide and Union Minister Mukul Roy said the TC chief is going to Delhi on Sunday evening.

Banerjee, set to take over reins as chief minister, had on Friday said that she would like allies Congress and SUCI to join the Trinamool Congress-led ministry.