Mamata’s pullout threat recedes till another hike

Centre may pacify Banerjee by agreeing to `20,000cr package demand

Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress on Tuesday refrained from immediately withdrawing support to UPA government.

“If

there is another hike in prices of petrol and petroleum products, we will pull out of the government,” Mamata Banerjee told a local TV channel after the press conference in Kolkata.

The Trinamool Congress had earlier threatened to withdraw support to the UPA government following the latest petrol price hike.

Trinamool Congress leader and Union minister of state for health, Sudip Bandopadhyay, who led a delegation of party Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members to prime minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi, also said, “We will not digest any further hike in petrol prices. In that case we will have to rethink our alliance with the UPA.” He, however, said the prime minister had “agreed to their sentiment”.

In Kolkata, West Bengal chief minister and Trina-mool Congress supreme Mamata Banerjee was upset over the fact that her meeting with union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee at Raj Bhavan earlier during the day, over the state’s proposed special financial package had not yielded any concrete outcome.

So much so that she underplayed the meeting which took place in presence of West Bengal governor and branded it as “just a routine meeting over a cup of tea”. She went on to mention that she had met the union finance minister several times (at least five-six times) in the past at latter’s residence in Kolkata and Delhi but those had been to no avail.

Significantly, it was expected that the UPA government would try to pacify Banerjee by agreeing to her demands for a special financial package for the state to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore.

According to Trinamool Congress insiders, there were indications that the finance ministry may agree to a financial package of Rs 9,000 crore, which might subsequently be raised on prime minister’s interventions to some extent. Nevertheless it would no way be close to what Banerjee has been demanding from the Centre.

With 18 Lok Sabha and six Rajya Sabha members, Trinamool Congress is UPA’s largest ally.

(With inputs from KR Sudhaman in New Delhi)

Post new comment

Hey, To whom she is trying

Hey, To whom she is trying to make fool...We know very well that she is doing this drama only for special package. She is not Indian, She is only Bangalan...Even when she was Railway minister, she was not concerned about rest of India, she was only concerned about west bangal...Although we lover our fellow countrymen & friends from West Bangal but we want person at such a stretagic position should be above state. e.g. if a person is not from West Bangal, he should still think of west bangal and vice versa.

It have been 60 years of independance which means 60 years of experience of false assurances from politicians..we are mature enough by now to understand the language of these politicians.

Our central govt team selfish and team leader is weak hence people are struggling...they say people are eating more hence prices are increasing and we say politicians are eating more, doing nothing on demand and supply gap hence prices are increasing...a basic theory.

So, lets wait for some more time and see who acts..Govt or Public

Submitted by Neeraj Kumar (not verified) on Wed, 09/11/2011 - 00:23.