New Delhi, June 18 (IBNS): The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Monday said its General Secretary Digvijaya Singh is not 'officially' authorized to speak to media on behalf of the party.
The Congress made the statement after Singh criticized West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee by calling her 'immature' and 'erratic'.
"Digvijaya Singh is not officially authorized to speak on behalf of the party," the AICC said in a media release on Monday.
In an interview to Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate on Sunday, Singh said: "Well there is a limit to which we can bend to. You have seen the last one and one-and-a-half-year the way she has handled. Although it goes to a credit that on some issues she has agreed on critical matters."
He said the Congress has not asked Banerjee to leave the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
"As far as we are concerned, we are not throwing her out, we are not asking her to leave," Singh said.
"Well, all efforts have been made to console her, to accept her views, to accept her tantrums," he said.
"Well, there is some immaturity if can’t be avoided have to be faced," he said.
The relationship between the Congress and its key ally TMC faced several jolts in recent times including the issue of Presidential election with Banerjee refusing to back UPA's candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
Banerjee was strongly backing former President APJ Abdul Kalam for the titular post.
However, Kalam on Monday refused to contest the poll.
UPA last week announced Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as its candidate for the Presidential poll.
India’s 2012 Presidential election, entangled in unprecedented political jockeying, scheduled for an electoral college vote on July 19.