You can't control us, Mamata Banerjee tells Congress

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday gave no indication of resiling from her decision to withdraw support to the UPA government when she ruled out any compromise on her demands for roll back of the major reforms decisions taken by the Central government.

"I will stick to my position, come what may...the (TMC) ministers will tender their resignations," she told reporters, a day after she announced withdrawal of support and pull out of ministers, if the government does not go back on its decisions.

Rejecting Finance Minister P Chidambaram's statement in Delhi this morning, she told reporters that nobody from Delhi contacted her before or after the Centre took the decisions to hike diesel price, cap supply of subsidised cylinders and allow FDI in retail.

"Minimum 24 cylinders should be given to a family in a year. How many times you will keep raising the petroleum prices? FDI in retail should be withdrawn," Banerjee said.

She said on September 14, the day the Union cabinet took the decisions on FDI, she had told Congress President Sonia Gandhi that her party was opposed to these decisions.

Recalling that the statement of former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that FDI in retail would not be implemented unless a consensus in reached among political parties, she said this is a commitment that the government adhere to.

The West Bengal chief minister said the government should implement any decision on FDI in retail only after a legislation is passed in Parliament in this regard. "FDI, we are not...we will organise protest everyday."

Last night, Banerjee had announced that her party would withdraw support to the UPA and pull out its ministers in protest against the economic decisions. She said she could reconsider her stand if the government slashes the diesel price hike of Rs5 by Rs3-4 per litre, withdraws the decision on FDI totally and raise the cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders.

Banerjee said she told Gandhi that her party cannot support these decisions and asked her to see that "our alliance is not broken".

"I can't compromise on issues. It is related to common people. If political parties don't consider people's feelings, if I cheat the people, then I have no existence".

She attacked the centre saying it was in the habit of raising petroleum prices by Rs7-8 a litre and then bring it down by Re1 and finally claim see we have brought it down.

"They started reforms in 1992. Now, still they are raising prices citing international prices. What are reforms for, if they are not for the common man. Reforms should come from the grassroots and not from the skies," she said.

The TMC chief said there has been a 75% increase in the prices of fertiliser which was anti-farmer.

Recalling that she was in the capital a month ago for a meeting of the UPA coordination committee and said," now, where is the coordination. Now, coordination has become ordinance".

She told the Congress that UPA was not a single-party government but they have taken all the decisions unilaterally.

Referring to reports from Delhi that the prime minister tried to contact her but could not, she said there was no communication.

"I was never informed of the decisions on allowing FDI in retail. I will request Congress leaders not to distort facts. They must communicate reality," she said contesting Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram's statement in Delhi that the PMO tried to contact her about decisions on diesel and FDI in retail, but without success.

"I know how to respect political leaders. That 'lakshman reka' I have maintained," she said, adding that the Congress now wants to control channels, but they cannot control us.

Mukul Roy said, "As a Cabinet Minister, so often I have been asked by the Prime Minister... receive communication from the PMO. But, regarding this, I have never received any communication form the PMO to convey to our supremo Mamata Banerjee."