Why is minority UPA in hurry over FDI in retail: Trinamool

The Trinamool Congress Friday called it "unethical" on the part of the minority United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to notify FDI in retail, and wondered why the government was in a "hurry" on the issue.

Iterating that it would hand over its letter of withdrawal of support to the ruling UPA to President Pranab Mukherjee Friday, Railway Minister Mukul Roy told mediapersons: "It is unethical for...the government which does not have the majority on the floor of the Lok Sabha to push for FDI. We don't understand what is the hurry."

"On Sep 18, when our leader Mamata Banerjee announced withdrawal of support the government became a minority," he said before leaving for Delhi.

On a day when parts of India shut down in response to an opposition-sponsored strike against economic reforms, the government Thursday night announced it has notified the cabinet/Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs decisions on FDI in single-brand retail, multi-brand retail, civil aviation, broadcasting sector and power exchanges in multi-brand trade.

Ruling out any compromise, Roy said: "We are committed to the decision unanimously.

We (the Trinamool ministers) will submit their resignation to prime minister (Manmohan Singh) at around 3 p.m."

"Later we are scheduled to meet the president. It is my proud privilege that the party has entrusted me to communicate to the president the withdrawal of support from the anti-people UPA-II," he said.

Miffed over the decisions of diesel price hike, restriction on the number of subsidized cooking gas cylinders per household and retail FDI, the Trinamool Congress supremo Tuesday announced that her party was withdrawing support to the UPA government.

Banerjee's withdrawal of support has brought the UPA's effective strength in the 545-seat Lok Sabha from 273 to 254, which is slightly below the half-way mark.