Under fresh attack from Mamata Banerjee on FDI in multi-brand retail, the Congress on Monday said the Trinamool Congress chief should “evolve from a street fighter to a statesman”.
“There comes a time in the life of every political party and politician when you have to evolve from an agitator to an administrator...from a street fighter to a statesman. These are personal decisions and a matter of self introspection. We want to leave to her only this very small suggestion,” party spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters in New Delhi.
Mr. Tewari said the Congress has “great personal regard” for the West Bengal Chief Minister and the political struggle she had waged.
The Congress spokesperson was reacting to questions on Ms. Banerjee’s agitation against FDI in retail and price rise in the national capital during which she also indicated that her party may bring a ‘no-confidence motion’ against the government in the next session of Parliament.
At a protest rally at Jantar Mantar here, which was attended by NDA convenor Sharad Yadav, Ms. Banerjee launched an all-out attack against the Congress-led UPA government.
The Congress spokesperson, however, made light of her opposition to FDI and the hike in diesel prices alleging the West Bengal Chief Minister makes one statement in Delhi and says something else in Kolkata. “She (Banerjee) is opposing FDI and diesel hike in New Delhi but in West Bengal it is her government which had increased the power tariff,” Mr. Tewari said.
Keywords: Mamata Banerjee, Congress-Trinamool rift, UPA government, coalition politics, FDI in retail, LPG cap, diesel price hike, national politics, Manish Tewari
The title of this article says everything. The proverbial saying,"It is hard to teach an old dog a new trick". Mamata never spells out her plan on anything for aam aadmi. Only critizing the government for economic development plan in face new challenge facing the nation since 1991. The architect of the reform, Dr. Singh has plan for futher reform (FDI, etc) warranted by the present economic glich all over the world including our country.
Well, Mr Tewari, you should know that your party wanted to give Ms
Bannerjee's govt a saver on various pending payments in the power
sector, when her party was supporting your party. Now that she has
withdrawn her support, that offer is not coming. What is she supposed
to do with the power tariff?
And to your main point, it is the frolics of your party that is
forcing her to remain at street-fighter level. She is a better
statesman than you and your cohorts are, she wants the best for her
citizens and for India, and that's why she has taken up cudgels. Get
the point?
This is wishful thinking that a person who has become popular or more recently and correctly being considered newsworthy only because of her publicly perceived mercurial, erratic and autocratic and belligerent behaviour in public with no thought or consideration of the etiquette or diplomacy required of the office she holds will do anything to dispel the doubt that she would do anything but agitate about everthing - whether the result is good for the nation or not is evidently far from her mind and reality.
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