The moment the Trinamul Congress ministers submitted their resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at New Delhi on Friday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee went on a warpath against the UPA-2 government. She virtually made it clear that she was determined to make foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, diesel price hike and capping of the subsidised LPG as major poll planks for the upcoming panchayat election in West Bengal. Ms Banerjee also slammed the Central government for formally notifying to allow FDI in India, calling it unethical and shocking by a government reduced to minority after her party pulled out of it over the same issue.
“I have just come to know through the media that the Central government has notified the FDI in retail today. Is it ethical, moral and democratic for a minority government to issue government order forcefully and hurriedly when massive protest against it is taking place across the country?” Ms Banerjee questioned in her post on the social networking site Facebook.
“This action by a minority government questions its credibility. It also defies democratic tradition in the context of the assurance given in a statement by the former finance minister on 7/12/2011 in Lok Sabha to go in for consensus among all stake holders before taking a decision,” the chief minister said.
Terming the move of the Central government as “shocking at midnight”, Ms Banerjee further added in her post: “It is not understandable as to what has prompted the present minority government to take a hurried decision on such an important issue which touches the livelihood of millions of common people.”
Earlier speaking in a programme in North 24 Parganas district, the chief minister once again specifically pointed out that her government would not allow the FDI in retail in the state despite the Centre sticking to its reform policy.