Mamata quits coalition panel
PM sends George to Calcutta
Tribune News Service and agencies

CALCUTTA/NEW DELHI, Nov 3 — Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee today resigned from the Coordination Committee of the ruling BJP-led coalition in protest against the Vajpayee Government’s ‘‘failure’’ to check the price rise.

She sent her resignation to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Chairman of the Coordination Committee, through the Trinamool Congress delegation which left for Delhi this morning.

Official sources in Delhi, said the Prime Minister had refused to accept Ms Banerjee’s resignation and directed Defence Minister George Fernandes to rush to Calcutta to persuade her not to press her decision.

Announcing her decision in Calcutta, Ms Banerjee said that despite requesting the central government to convene a meeting of chief ministers to arrest the price rise, the Vajpayee Government did not act in time.

‘‘The Centre should be assertive, effective and positive. It should direct the state governments to take action against hoarders and profiteers under the Essential Commodities Act’’, she told reporters at Raj Bhavan after meeting state Governor AR Kidwai on the price rise issue.

She said had the Centre kept a vigil, the state governments would have taken action against the hoarders.

The firebrand leader said ‘‘I have sacrificed my membership in the committee. I hope this will pressurise the government to take effective steps to curb the price hike’’.

When told that the Centre had already convened a meeting of state chief secretaries, Ms Banerjee said the chief secretaries could not convey ‘‘political message’’.

She appreciated the steps taken by the Vajpayee Government in this respect, but said it was late.

‘‘But it is always better late than never,’’ she added.

To a question whether she would rejoin the committee if the BJP requested her, the Trinamool Congress leader replied: ‘‘I am not withdrawing my resignation. I want that the people should get relief’’.

Asked if she would talk to Defence Minister George Fernandes, who was asked to rush here to persuade her, she retorted: ‘‘Why can’t I talk to Fernandes? He is our friend. We are all friendly allies’’.

She said that the Trinamool Congress delegation had sought the intervention of the Governor to check the price spiral and demanded that the state government should clearly state what action it had taken and how many hoarders had been arrested.

She complained that the Left Front government had not taken action against hoarders and profiteers for which the common people had suffered.

Trinamool Congress chief whip Ajit Panja who was in the delegation accused the front government of ‘‘conspiring with the hoarders’’.

Otherwise, why did it not take action against them when the state government had all the powers, he asked.

Mr Panja said that they also complained to the Government about ‘‘deteriorating law and order situation in the state’’ and alleged that the MPs of the Trinamool Congress were ‘‘harassed by the police at the behest of the state Home Minister’’.

Apart from Ms Banerjee and Mr Panja, other members of the delegation included Mr Bikram Sarkar, Mr Akbar Ali Khondakar, both MPs, Mr Sobhandev Chattopadhyay and Trinamool Mahila Congress chief Mala Roy.

In Delhi, the BJP and the government were caught unawares when Ms Banerjee announced her decision.

When asked about the impact of the resignation, the BJP spokesman, Mr M Venkaiah Naidu, said the party was hopeful that she would review her decision and would withdraw her resignation.

Mr Naidu said this would have no impact on the coming assembly elections. "We are sure that we will be able to convince her", he said.

When asked about such a delay in calling a meeting of the Coordination Committee as demanded by Ms Banerjee, Mr Naidu said the question should be addressed either to the Prime Minister or to Mr Fernandes who was the coordinator of the committee.

The BJP’s West Bengal President, Mr Tapan Sikdar, said that "we are only interested that the Trinamool Congress sticks to the national agenda rest they can do what they like".

"Small parties do what they like but we are an all-India party", Mr Sikdar said, adding that "they have to keep on doing many things for political reasons".

Meanwhile, sources said that Ms Banerjee’s move was to gain political mileage in the state as her party had, of late, been losing public support.

At the same time, other sources said Ms Banerjee was trying to keep her political options open in view of the coming assembly elections. She had been in touch with the Congress, the sources pointed out.