Cong cool as TMC leaves UPA govt

As all six Trinamool Congress (TMC) at the Centre resigned on Friday and the party formally withdrew its support to the UPA government, reducing it to minority in the Lok Sabha, the Congress, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the BSP offering it outside support, appeared unfazed.

“It is their (ministers of TMC) wish”  to move out of the government, Congress chief spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi told Deccan Herald, when asked for party’s response to the resignation of TMC ministers.

Dwivedi defended the  decisions to increase diesel prices, putting a cap on subisidised LPG cylinders and allowing foreign investors in retail sector.  He asserted that “the Congress supports decisions taken by the government.”

“We will support the UPA to keep the communal party away from the government,” said Yadav. “If we do not support the Congress, then it is possible that the communal party will come into power. So we are supporting the Congress.”

However, Yadav, known to make mercurial moves, qualified his support to the UPA by indicating that he will play pivotal role in resurrecting the Third Front and continue to oppose the economic policies of the UPA government.

Earlier, six TMC ministers—Mukul Roy (Railways), Sudip Bandhyopadhay (Mos - Health), Sultan Ahmed (MoS - Tourism), Saugata Roy (MoS - Urban Development), Sisir Adhikary (MoS - Rural Development) and C M Jatua (MoS - Information and Broadcasting) - submitted their resignations to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh which the latter accepted., with outside support of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party appeared unfazed despite the Centre being reduced to a minority. According to sources, the prime minister accepted the resignation letters submitted by TMC Ministers. Later, a TMC delegation met President Pranab Mukherjee and handed to him a letter stating the withdrawal of the party's support to the UPA government.

A communiqué from Rashtrapati Bhavan said the TMC delegation "submitted a letter communicating withdrawal of support to UPA II with immediate effect."