Kolkata, Sep 21: With union ministers belonging to the Trinamool Congress resigning Friday, the Congress said its ministers in the West Bengal government will put in their papers Saturday.
"All the Congress ministers in the West Bengal cabinet will assemble before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday evening and hand over their resignations to her," state irrigation minister and Congress leader Manas Bhunia told IANS.
"I contacted the chief minister's secretariat for an appointment with her for handing over our resignations. We have been allotted time at 5 p.m. on Saturday," he said.
State Congress President Pradip Bhattacharya had Friday announced the party's decision to quit the Banerjee cabinet.
Asked whether it implied that the alliance between the Trinamool and the Congress in the state was over, Bhattacharya replied: "Effectively, yes. The alliance is collapsing".
Having 42 members in the 294-member state assembly (two more than the Communist Party of India- Marxist's 40), the Congress may also stake a claim to the post of the leader of the opposition presently held by CPI-M's Surjya Kanta Mishra.
The Congress is the junior partner in the Trinamool-led West Bengal government with six ministers - two cabinet and four ministers of state.
Miffed over the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government's decisions over hike in diesel price and foreign investment in multi-brand retail, Banerjee Tuesday announced that the Trinamool Congress was withdrawing support to the UPA government.
