Trinamul Congress chief and chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday went on a warpath against the Centre, dropping broad hints that she would not hesitate to pull out of the UPA II, if it did not scrap its decisions to hike the price of diesel price, restrict the number of subisidised LPG cylinders to six and allow FDI in multibrand retail.
She made it clear that if her demands were not met before the expiry of the 72-hour deadline she had set on Friday, she would take the “hard decision”. In the past, Ms Banerjee had repeatedly regretted that the people misunderstood her decision to resign from the railway ministry and dump the BJP-led NDA over the defence scam in 2001. Although she did not spell out her intentions but she requested the people to not misunderstand her move if she took the drastic step. “I have given them 72 hour time. If they do not take a decision by then, then I will take my decision. I hope people will not misunderstand me however hard the decision may be because my decision will be in the interest of the people,” she said while addressing a large gathering at the foot of Gandhi statue. She led a padyatra from Subodh Mullick Square to the Gandhi statue.
In a hard-hitting speech, Ms Banerjee claimed that she did not care for power. “We have only one significant Cabinet berth — that of the railways. That also we did not get at their mercy. We have 20 Lok Sabha and nine Rajya Sabha MPs and are the second largest constituent of the UPA. I do not care if I lose one ministry,” she added.
Political observers pointed out that Ms Banerjee has sent a clear message to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA president Sonia Gandhi that she meant business. “It is for this reason that she took the people into confidence in advance asking them to not misinterpret her decision,” observers.
Scoffing at the Centre’s explanation that every state would be free to allow or disallow FDI in retail, she termed it as lollipops. “When the Government of India takes a policy decision it becomes applicable in the entire country. We are not fools who will be placated with a lollipop,” she thundered.
Without naming the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ms Banerjee said political leaders should be more concerned about the interests of the people rather than their own personal laurels.