New Delhi: With the UPA choosing economic reforms over coalition politics to make way for FDI in retail and fuel price hike, its allies and supporting parties on Saturday expressed strong opposition to the decision but gave no indication of withdrawal of their support to the government, except Trinamool Congress which threatened to take ‘hard’ measures.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday took to the streets with the warning that her party would take 'hard' decisions at the end of her 72-hour deadline set by her party if UPA government did not scrap FDI in retail, diesel price hike and limit on subsidised LPG.
While leaders of all the three parties – TMC, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, which account for 62 Lok Sabha members, referred to their support to the Congress-led government, they made ambivalent remarks on whether they would really bite the bullet by withdrawing the backing.
The UPA coalition enjoys the support of over 310 MPs in the Lok Sabha where 273 constitute a simple majority in a House of 545.
BSP supremo Mayawati, whose party has 21 MPs and provides outside support to the government, spoke of taking a decision on continuing support after a meeting of the National Executive on or after October 9.
However, Mamata, who’s Trinamool Congress with 19 MPs is the second largest constituent in the UPA after the Congress, spoke in contradicting terms.
She threatened to take "hard" decisions at the end of a 72-hour deadline if the controversial decisions were not withdrawn while adding in the same vein her party was not in favour of quitting the government.
"We have called a party meeting on Tuesday to discuss these issues. If the Centre does not roll back the hike in diesel price and withdraw decisions on FDI in multi-brand retail and LPG, we will take decisions, however, hard they may be. I hope the people will not misunderstand," Banerjee told a rally in Kolkata.
She said her party would not like to topple the UPA government. "We are not in favour of quitting the government. We are always in favour of not breaking the alliance. But we are committed to the people."
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav opposed FDI in retail sector and said his government would not allow its implementation in the state.
Asked whether SP was planning to withdraw its outside support to the UPA government on the issue of hike in diesel price and FDI, he said any such decision rests with the party's national leadership.
"Only the National President will decide how the support will continue. It has been asked several times but Samajwadi Party will always provide support to counter communal powers in the country," he said.
Mayawati, whose party BSP has 20 MPs, termed the Centre's decisions as "anti-people" and said she will take a call on continuing support to UPA after a rally on October 9.
She said BSP will hold a 'Maha Sankalp rally" on October 9 at Ramabai Ambedkar rally ground in Lucknow on the occasion of BSP founder Kanshiram's death anniversary.
"On the same day or the next day an executive meeting will be called in which it will be decided whether we will continue support to the UPA government," Mayawati said.
Meanwhile, UPA ally Samajwadi Party, along with a number of other non-UPA parties including BJP, will hold coordinated agitational programmes on September 20 across the country to protest the hike in diesel price and FDI in multi-brand retail.
In a joint statement, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav along with Left parties, JD(S), BJD and TDP alleged that the UPA government has "stuck cruel blows on the people one after another" by raising diesel price, limiting subsidised cooking gas, opening up of multi-brand retail and disinvestment of PSUs.
BJP-led NDA separately announced that it will hold a nation-wide strike on the same day, September 20, to demand rollback of FDI in multi-brand retail and the Rs 5 hike in diesel prices.
NDA Working Chairperson LK Advani said the people of the country were feeling "suffocated" by the UPA government and want this to end. He asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to introspect and call for fresh polls.
(With additional inputs from PTI)
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