Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, today lay siege to Jantar Mantar in the capital and threatened to bring in a 'no- confidence motion' against the UPA and its economic policies in the next Parliament session. The West Bengal chief minister donning her “street –fighter” avatar, said she intends to create a “federal front” and will be traveling across the country holding protest rallies, appealing to political parties like the Samajwadi Party in UP and JD(U) in Bihar to support her.
Significantly, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav, today joined Banerjee on the podium and described her as one the few “untainted leaders” in politics. The mercurial leader, dared the Congress to let lose the CBI on her accusing it of using the CBI on political rivals to settle scores.
Till a fortnight back the TMC was the second largest alliance partner of the UPA. Now having split from the UPA, Banerjee launched an all out offensive saying she was ready for early elections. Banerjee said she had "heard" the general elections could be advanced and held in March next year. "We also don't want this government. If need be, we are ready for bringing a no-confidence motion against this government."
With Sharad Yadav publicly backing her, Banerjee went onto elaborate on her pan- India designs; a protest rally in Lucknow on 17th November, another in Patna where she will urge the Bihar chief minister to support and a rally in neighbouring Haryana in early November.
Trinamool Congress’s ‘dharna’ in the capital, was an attempt by the party to project itself as a "national" party and shed its regional tag. The TMC had therefore ensured that today’s rally would draw crowds from neighboring states and not its bastion West Bengal. The party’s Rajya Sabha MP, K D Singh had been assigned the job and he succeeded in bringing in people from the farming belt in Haryana and nearby areas.
Hitting out at her political rivals namely the Congress for commenting on her choice of capital Delhi as her protest venue, she dug in her heels saying no one can stop her from coming here. Infact, she announced she would be holding another ‘48 hour dharna’ in the capital on November 22 and 23. “If I wanted I could have brought in 50 lakh people from Bengal if need be, but I want people in Delhi to fight for themselves and those in other states to rise up for themselves,” Banerjee said.
Opening up a new Opposition front, Banerjee appealed to all political parties to support the purported resolution that she intended to bring in the Parliament against FDI in retail, diesel price hike and LPG cap.
The TMC led West Bengal government has already passed a resolution in the West Bengal assembly against FDI in retail.
To counter the TMC, the Pradesh Congress in the state today too held a protest rally which culminated at Banerjee’s bastion in Hazra in south Kolkata. PCC chief Pradeep Bhattacharya and other PCC leaders, including Deepa Dasmunshi, questioned the Trinamool Congress chief's 'closeness' with BJP and NDA leaders in opposing FDI.
Appealing to all sections including traders, government employees and ordinary man to join her in throwing out the “corrupt” government she stated that soon FDI in insurance and pension will come in and take away your savings.
“I am not afraid of anything. I am not afraid of going to jail or dying. I have faced bullets and been beaten but even then I work on roads and in the sun among the common people,” said Banerjee to laud applause.