Central package may end depression in W. Bengal

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Under pressure from its powerful Trinamul ally, the UPA government is expected to release “some amount” as a bailout package for West Bengal.

Sources said West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamul boss Mamata Banerjee had recently demanded a Rs 20,000-crore financial package for her state.

It is believed that she decided to use the recent petrol price hike as a bargaining tool following the Centre’s reluctance to accept her demand immediately. With 18 Lok Sabha MPs (and six Rajya Sabha members) in its kitty, the Trinamul Congress is the UPA’s second-largest constituent.

Her demand for a coordination panel is also viewed as an attempt to keep the government under constant pressure.

Union minister of state for health Sudip Bandhopadhyay made things somewhat clear on Monday when he said the party delegation which will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday “will not demand a rollback of the petrol hike, but express grievances to the PM”.

Bandhopadhyay said: “No, we are not asking for a rollback. We’re trying to represent grievances of the common man. We’re trying to represent grievances of the common man. We hear prices of diesel and LPG are going to go up further”.

The Manmohan Singh government, which is having trouble with several allies, including the DMK and NCP, intends to “actively consider Mamata Banerjee’s demand”, it is learnt from sources here. “Some amount” is likely to be released quickly by the Centre to “pacify Mamata Banerjee”, sources said.

Mamata not to meet PM

Mamata Banerjee, incidentally, will not be part of the delegation meeting Dr Singh on Tuesday. She will be in Kolkata where she is expected to join a meeting on the state’s financial situation between Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.

The TMC delegation, comprising MPs and some MLAs, will be led by senior West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee. While Trinamul MPs and ministers appeared to be going soft on the Manmohan Singh government, Ms Banerjee remained combative in Kolkata, saying there “will be no compromise on the issue of price rise”.

TMC brinkmanship

* Trinamul sources also confirmed that the “so-called crisis will be over the moment the Centre declares a package for West Bengal”. The Trinamul ministers in the Manmohan Singh government also indicated that there “is no pressure from Didi to step down”.

* The Trinamul sources also said that Ms Banerjee was not in any mood to pull out her ministers as “it might just reduce her bargaining power”. The sources noted that she had not resigned as railway minister at the Centre till her party had swept the Assembly elections in the state earlier this year.