Claiming that despite being the second largest constituent in the United Progressive Alliance government it was not consulted prior to the Centre’s announcement of key decisions, the Trinamool Congress leadership has called for an emergency meeting of its parliamentary party here on September 18 .
“All these anti-people, unilateral decisions need to be reconsidered and withdrawn within the next 72 hours,” Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh said here on Friday evening, hours after the party leadership expressed its strong opposition to the Centre’s decision to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail sector.
The other decisions the MP was referring to were those the hike in price of diesel prices and restriction on the annual supply of subsidised cooking gas cylinders to six per household.
“The Centre has been taking one anti-people decision after another unilaterally,” Mr. Ghosh told a private television channel of which he is the chief executive officer. “The meeting on Tuesday will be chaired by Mamata Banerjee,” he said.
Asked whether the party’s future in the Centre would be decided at the meeting, Mr. Ghosh said, “All the options are open.”
“The Trinamool Congress does not have the numbers to impose its demand on the policies being taken by the Centre. We have kept the Railway Ministry in the interests of West Bengal ….it only takes a second to leave [the government],” he added. Mr. Ghosh also said that Ms Banerjee “will not budge an inch from her commitment to the people” in her opposition to FDI in multi-brand retail.
On the subject, the party’s leader in Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandopadhyay, said: “We have been repeatedly saying that we are not being consulted before such decisions are being taken. This is not proper and not expected of the Centre”.
