JOIN USMamata may pull out ministers from UPA Govt
Furious over the Centre’s anti-people reforms to please only a section of people, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which set the Centre a 72-hour deadline on Friday to roll back its moves on FDI and increase of petroleum products, may consider withdrawing its ministers from the UPA government, offering the alliance only outside support.
Party supremo Mamata Banerjee has summoned TMC leaders and MPs for consultations on the next course of action on Tuesday. According to insiders, the party will be seriously considering withdrawing its Cabinet minister for railways and six other ministers of state at the Centre unless the government rolls back some of its decisions at least partially.
Agency reports have suggested that the TMC might withdraw its support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, but Trinamool insiders said such a drastic move, although contemplated, “may not be resorted to.”
“Despite serious opposition from the allies, the Congress is taking all decisions unilaterally and they are not paying any heed to us. Enough is enough and we will not allow this to continue any more. We want to give a strong message to the Congress. If it costs our ministry we don’t mind,” a senior Trinamool Congress leader considered to be close to Mamata Banerjee told Deccan Herald.
“We are not in favour of destabilising the government by withdrawing support, but this time we are not going to allow the government to implement all these anti-people policies. We are not going to do politics at the cost of the interest of the common people,” the source in the party said.
Union Minister of State for Urban Development Sougata Roy of the TMC said: “Mamata has given 72 hours to the Centre to modify, change its decision in regard to cancellation of diesel price hike, the cap on supply of LPG cylinders and introducing FDI in retail. If there is no response from the Centre by that time, the TMC will sit and take a tough decision”.
Asked to clarify the “tough decision,” Roy said: “The parliamentary party will sit together and discuss the entire situation and then we will take the decision and decide our future course of action. Before that, I cannot say anything.”
Addressing a rally to protest against the Centre’s decision, Banerjee had said: "We are not in favour of quitting the government. We are always in favour of not breaking the alliance. But we are committed to the people."
Meanwhile, ahead of their countrywide agitation on September 20, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Left parties also stepped up their offensive against the government’s decisions which, they said, would badly hit the common man and the farmers.
Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi, however, remained confident of “sorting out” differences and described Mamata Banerjee as an “important and valued colleague” in the UPA. TMC sources said the way out could be that the Centre could effect a token cut on the Rs 5 per litre hike in diesel prices and give more subsidised LPG cylinders and not restrict them to six.
However, the TMC, which has 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha, is said to be strongly opposed to allowing FDI in retail.
Lashing out at the government, BJP leader Balbir Punj said it “has lost the faith of common man and its isolation is complete as even its allies are not being able to live with it due to the arrogance” of Congress.
Upping the ante, the Janata Dal-United said that the government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would have to go for this “dangerous venture”. Party President Sharad Yadav expressed confidence that Mamata Banerjee “won’t support FDI in retail” under any circumstances.
Yadav, who is the NDA convener, indicated that the coordinated agitation by the Opposition on September 20, would strive to ensure that the government “is ousted.”
In Kolkata, the Left parties on Sunday announced a 12-hour all-India general strike for September 20 coinciding with the agitation by other opposition parties and UPA supporter Samajwadi Party.
Cong downplays TMC threat
The Congress on Sunday sought to play down its allies’ threat to withdraw support to the UPA-2 government, even as the Prime Minister’s Office justified allowing foreign capital into multi-brand retail and civil aviation sectors. The ruling party at the Centre claimed that reforms taken by the government have immensely benefited the “aam aadmi” in the past few years.