Trinamool Congress demands immediate resignation of UPA government

Turning on the heat, erstwhile UPA ally Trinamool Congress on Friday demanded immediate resignation of the Manmohan Singh government, saying it is in a minority in Parliament and has no moral right to continue in office.

"Manmohan Singh-government has turned into a minority. They can remain in power by utilising the number game in Parliament. It first became a minority government when the Trinamool Congress withdrew support last year, and now by the DMK," TMC all-India general secretary Mukul Roy told a press conference in Kolkata.

"This government has no moral right to continue in office for a single moment," he said adding that Trinamool Congress with 19 Lok Sabha members had withdrawn support from the UPA government on "specific issues like FDI in retail trade, decontrol of diesel price, cap on LPG cylinders and hike in fertiliser prices."

"We want this government to resign immediately," the TMC general secretary added.

TMC, which was the second largest constituent of UPA after the Congress and has 19 Lok Sabha members, had withdrawn support from the UPA government in September last year.

DMK, which has 18 Lok Sabha MPs, had pulled out of UPA over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue on March 19. With the outside support of SP (22) and BSP (21) and some others, the ruling UPA is confident of remaining in power till the middle of next year when the general elections are due.

On his way back from Durban yesterday, the Prime Minister voiced confidence that his government will complete its five-year tenure and that the next election to the Lok Sabha will be held on schedule in 2014.