Mamata says can’t support petrol price rise, will meet PM before deciding on her MPs’ green signal
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, largest ally of the Congress party in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at Delhi, with 19 Lok Sabha seats, today threatened to pull out in protest at the latest rise in petrol prices.
“Our parliamentary committee members comprising 25 MPs from both houses have taken the decision to withdraw support from the UPA,” Banerjee said. However, she added, the final call will be taken after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is in France attending the G-20 summit. “We are a party of the people and we cannot and will not take responsibility for the decision to keep burdening the people with more and more price rise,” she said.
The TMC is the second largest party in the UPA coalition, next only to the Congress, which has 207 seats in the Lok Sabha. Decrying the fact that the Congress government chose to unilaterally increase prices without consulting allies, the West Bengal CM said she could not remain silent any more.
At the state secretariat, the Writers’ Building, she said, “We have witnessed 11 fuel price hikes in the last 12 months, which could have no justification, especially given the fact that this boomerangs into an overall inflationary pressure for the economy.” She said shee respected and appreciated her MPs’ decision to pull out but would await the Prime Minister’s return before deciding.
“They did not consult coalition parties about the hike. Yet, I will await the PM’s return. Today, if I withdraw support, the government will fall. I have the basic courtesy to await his return before I take the final call,” she said.
Adding: “Somebody has to bell the cat and I am happy that our MPs have taken such a decision.” The MPs, accompanied possibly by West Bengal commerce minister Partha Chatterjee, would meet the PM on November 9 or 10 to discuss a roll back and some more lasting solution.
The CM’s declaration was preceded by a joint press conference with Union commerce and industry minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, on textile sector plans for the state. When asked about the fuel price rise, Sharma said, “Banerjee has expressed her concerns and I will convey this to the PM and the UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi.” Banerjee was mum on the issue at the joint press conference and then attended the parliamentary committee meeting, later making the announcement.
Her ultimatum would be the first major threat to the UPA’s survival since it was re-elected to the Centre in 2009.
Banerjee, since coming to power, has asked the Centre for a bailout package to address the state’s troubled finances. Today, she said she’d borne the Centre’s apathy, was above it, and would not resort to “blackmail and bargain”.
