May reconsider pullout decision if Govt rolls back decisions
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee’s decision to pull out of the UPA-II has come with a rider.
In an announcement late on Tuesday, she said her party might reconsider its decision to withdraw support; if the Government slashes diesel price by around Rs 3-4 per litre, scrap the decision to allow FDI in retail and raise the cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders from six to 24 a year.
“We might reconsider our decision to withdraw support if there is a roll back in diesel price hike and FDI in retail. The cap on subsidised LPGs must go,” she told reporters late last night.
On Tuesday night, Banerjee had announced her party’s “unanimous decision” to withdraw support (to UPA) and pull out its Ministers in protest against raising diesel prices, reducing cap on subsidised LPG cylinders and FDI in retail. Trinamool ministers are expected to submit their resignations on Friday.
Pullout
Remaining adamant on her stand to withdraw support from the UPA-II, which described as “pro-people”, Banerjee made it a point to mention that no attempts had been made by the Prime Minister to contact her.
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had claimed in Delhi that attempts by the Prime Minister to contact TMC had bore no fruit.
“I will stick to my position, come what may...the (TMC) Ministers will tender their resignations,” she told reporters at Writers’ Buildings here on Wednesday.
Charging the Congress of distorting facts, Banerjee maintained that decisions at the UPA-II were taken unilaterally without consulting allies.
“The Centre’s claim that the Prime Minister tried to contact me is incorrect. The Centre was never in touch with me. I request Congress leaders not to distort facts,” she said adding: “I want to say this to them, you cannot control us. We are transparent. People know our credentials.”
She, however, made it clear that she was not opposed to FDI in aviation as “it has nothing to do with the common people”.
Congress abstains
Meanwhile, following a souring of relations, alliance partner Congress today refrained from attending the West Bengal Government’s Cabinet meeting.
The Congress has two Cabinet and two Ministers of State in the Bengal Government.
Senior Congress leaders said that the party was awaiting directions from the ‘high command’ on their future course of action. It is still not known whether Congress will ask its Ministers to resign from the Bengal Cabinet.
Keywords: Mamata, Congress, Trinamool, FDI in retail, diesel price hike, LPG cylinders
Comments:
There is need for the parliament to be called soon. It should debate the
situation and if need be the ruling party should decide to go in for a
quick general elections. The nation can not be at the mercy of these
whkmsical coalition aprtners.
It is great that Mrs. Mamata Banerjee reiterated her decision to withdraw support from UPA-II. She deserves to be appreciated and applauded by one and all for taking the bold decision to pull out of government.UPA II has become a liability to the people of India. AITC is the biggest ally of UPA II government. With the withdrawal of support by AITC, UPA II government has lost its majority and thereby forfeited its moral standing to continue in power. Therefore, in all propriety, Dr.Manmohan Singh should honorably resign before matters become worse due to horse-trading , as it happened in 1991. Dr. Singh and his colleagues and the bureaucrats know very well that FDI in multi-brand retail will do more harm than benefit to the people. Mamataji’s statement that the FDI decision was unveiled only to divert attention from. Mamataji’s statement that the FDI decision was unveiled only to divert attention from the coal blocks allocation controversy, is absolutely correct,
It is an utter shame that India has got idiot politicians like Mamata
Bannerjee who is supposedly an educated person but will go to any level
for interfering with India's growth. She should be sent to isolation and
given mental treatment.
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