It did not take more than three minutes to end a three-year alliance The Trinamool Congress (TMC) ministers met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to give their resignations. There was little conversation, making the meeting brief. Then they drove to Rashtrapati Bhavan to give a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee, indicating withdrawal of support from the UPA government.
In Kolkata, Congress MLAs who were ministers in the TMC government will quit tomorrow. “We sought time today to meet the chief minister. As she had some other appointments, we will be resigning tomorrow,” said state Congress member Manas Bhunia, who is also the minister in charge of irrigation, SME and textiles in the state government.
TMC will hold a demonstration in Delhi on September 30. Even as her ministers were resigning in Delhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was holding public meetings in Bengal explaining the pro-poor agenda of the TMC government.
“This is unethical and undemocratic on the part of minority government to notify FDI in multi-brand retail. We will protest with all our strength against the anti-people moves taken by the UPA. We are in the fight to protect the interests of the people. We will win. Others can compromise, but we will fight like a tiger,”
Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata after TMC ministers submitted their resignations to the Prime Minister in Delhi. Predictably, SP chief Mulayam harped on its role as a bulwark to prevent ‘communal forces’ from seizing power to justify the manner in which he abandoned Mamata Banerjee, jumped on the Left parties’ ship and at the same time, announced he was supporting the UPA.
“Our support is clear. We will not let communal forces come to power. That is why I am supporting. I am not in the UPA. But we are supporting so that communal forces do not go ahead,” he told reporters.
Asked if he was in favour of mid-term elections, Yadav shot back, “Where is the question of mid-term polls? Ask Congress whether they want it or (they want to) run the government.”
Yadav said it was “meaningless talk” when asked whether his party will join the Centre.
When pointed out that a senior CPI(M) leader has suggested that he lead the Third Front, Mulayam said such a front will be formed only after next elections. He said the leader of such a front would be decided later.
Meanwhile, SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav made statements about supporting the UPA from outside, sheltering the government from the TMC assault.
