The Trinamul Congress, UPA-2’s second-largest constituent, appears likely to ask its ministers to quit the Manmohan Singh government in protest against “anti-people” decisions like allowing 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail and the iesel price hike, but will still support the government from outside.
This move is expected after the 72-hour deadline set by party supremo Mamata Banerjee for the government to reverse its decisions ends Tuesday. The ministers’ exit is likely to dominate the September 18 meeting of Trinamul MPs and senior leaders called by Ms Banerjee. Party sources said Ms Banerjee will continue “outside support” as she does not want to be blamed for toppling the government. Trinamul, which has 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha, has one Cabinet slot (railway minister Mukul Roy) and six more ministers of state.
The TMC is still exploring if there is any way out of the standoff. Trinamul sources said one solution was if the Centre made a token cut in the `5 per litre diesel hike, or raised the number of subsidised LPG cylinders from six. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh, a trusted Mamata associate, insisted that all options were open.
Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi said Sunday “Mamata Banerjee is our respected and valued ally” and added: “If there are any differences, we sort them out through discussion. We are confident.”
On Saturday, Ms Banerjee told a protest rally: “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.”