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Kolkata: As the Trinamool Congress went ahead and withdrew support to the UPA in
Delhi, the repercussions were felt in West Bengal Friday, with the
Congress announcing it would pull out its ministers Saturday from
the 16-month old Mamata Banerjee-led government.
The knives were sharpened on both sides, as the coalition partners
traded vicious charges.
In a bid to gain from the break-up with the Trinamool, the state
Congress demanded at least three slots in the union council of
ministers including a cabinet berth for party MPs from the state.
Launching a scathing attack on Banerjee for her "dictatorial
attitude", and claiming that the law and order situation in the
state had been deteriorating, state Congress president Pradip
Bhattacharya said his party would be "relieved" to leave the state
cabinet.
At a media conference minutes after the Trinamool's ministers put
in their papers to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bhattacharya
announced the party's decision to leave the Banerjee ministry and
equated the chief minister with her Gujarat counterpart Narendra
Modi.
"Why will she repeat what Modi has to say about the Congress? A
progressive and secular Bengal will not tolerate Modi's words
coming out of Trinamool's mouth," Bhattacharya said.
The Congress is set to take a decision Saturday about withdrawing
support from the Banerjee government in the state.
But it would not have any impact on Banerjee's government, as
Trinamool has a comfortable majority in the 294-seat state
assembly.
The Congress has 42 members, two more than the Communist Party of
India- Marxist's 40, and could stake claim for the post of leader
of the opposition.
Bhattacharya said the chief minister's opposition to FDI in retail
would spell doom for the state's economy.
"In her regime, the state is hurtling downwards, the law and order
situation has steadily deteriorated, there are atrocities against
women," he said.
"We are not being allowed to hold meetings. Since we were in the
ministry so long, we were putting up with it all. We cannot
anymore bear the dictatorial attitude of the government. We are
relieved," he said.
Following the exit of Trinamool Congress' union ministers from the
union cabinet Friday, the Congress, tit for tat, declared that all
six of its ministers - two of cabinet rank and four ministers of
state - will put in their papers before Banerjee Saturday.
Meanwhile, state Congress general secretary Om Prakash Mishra
wrote to the Congress high command pleading for nominating at
least three ministers, from among the party members in the state.
"The question of proportionate and adequate representation from
the state is engaging the attention of the people," wrote Mishra.
Giving indications that the so long uneasy allies were fast
turning bitter foes, Trinamool Congress chief whip Sovandeb
Chattopadhyay said he will move a privilege motion against former
Congress legislator Arunava Ghosh on charges of insulting assembly
Speaker Biman Banerjee.
Ghosh, a fierce critic of Banerjee, has been a familiar face on
television channels over the last few years
Miffed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance
government's decisions over hike in diesel price and foreign
investment in multi-brand retail, the Trinamool Friday withdrew
support to the ruling coalition at the centre.
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