A eleventh hour attempt to bring peace between ruling Congress and Mamata Banerjee’s TMC is almost ruled out. Tempers are soaring as Congress failed to consult its coalition partners and that infuriated the Trinamul Congress chief. It is not the first time such chaos is causing concern for the Congress-led UPA.
Congress is trying to pacify Mamata and TMC ministers are ready to take the fight to the enemy’s camp. Already they ruled out any chance of reconciliation and the tempers are reaching a new high with allegations and counter allegations. It was expected that all six TMC ministers at the Centre, including Railway Minister Mukul Roy tender their resignations to the PM. TMC has 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha and is the first ally to desert the UPA ship, which was sinking below the Plimsoll line for some time. Instead of the old saying by the people, of the people and for the people now everything is for ministers to make hay when the sun shines and the people are pushed below the poverty line in the wake of increase in prices of petroleum products.
By bringing FDI even the farmers will be dumped. Already we hear the news about number of suicides in the Vidarbha belt and other parts of the country. But the Finance Minister is seeing all the untoward incidents happening for the last seven years without taking any effort to bring it down marginally.
— C.K.S. Ramaniam, Vashi
The day TMC chief Mamata Banerjee (Didi) became the Chief Minister of West Bengal the success has gone to her head and she started considering the State as well as Centre as her personal property and behaving in unpredictable manner every day in different forms by thrashing or transferring her own officials and threatening UPA government of pull out due to fuel price hike and FDI. Now she has dumped the UPA. I strongly feel that West Bengal, which is in a financial mess and facing various miseries with bankruptcy looming large over the state due to faulty policies and Mamata Banerjee must stop this political stunt and dictatorial attitude and cooperate with UPA government by implementing the FDI in the state which can generate employment, improvement in power sector, infrastructure etc. for the benefit of people who are already struggling in day to day life and are born with misery and will die with misery with the rigid stand and blessing of selfish, power hungry and dictatorial attitude people which will be disastrous for her as well as for her own state.
— Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai
If, indeed, Mamata Bannerji has used the words “after the namaz” to announce the time of her ministers’ resignation, the statement is highly communal and smacks of warped secularism. The intention to appease one community, Muslims, was obvious and unshamed. The Muslim community should refuse to be swayed by any sort of hollow appeasement and make known their displeasure at such gimmickry.
— Dr. Mookhi Amir Ali, Santacruz
It is Mamata again, but candidly ruthless against the continuous price hike imposition of UPA with ‘reforms’ bait. Didi’s spontaneous withdrawal action, in protest of such drastic hike in oil that will shoot the prices of essential goods further, on an already burdened ordinary section. Her act, though harsh to the ruling front, shows guts and commitment and is an open call to all those who cries for stability. Though known for her infamous hysteric reaction in political scenarios when provoked, one will agree that Didi is angry when it matters that a step taken is not populist but of some vested rulers. She did not care for her seat, or her party to compromise. Is there any political party or any political bigwigs, with guts to protest and protect? They are not ready to leave their prosperous seats and benefits that politics provides them! They know they can fool the voters with fresh offers and sweet speeches! This fire-brand leader, who always wished to stand with her people is an example to those greedy murky politicians of today!
— Govindan Unny, Malad