Kolkata, Sep 17: Trinamool Congress, a major UPA constituent, may consider pulling out its ministers from the Government in protest against allowing FDI in retail and diesel price hike, and giving it outside support.
Ahead of their countrywide agitation on September 20, the NDA and the Left parties also stepped up their offensive against the Government's decisions which, they said, would badly hit the common man and the farmers.
The Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, has set a 72-hour deadline on Friday for the Government to rollback its decision on diesel, cutting supply of subsidised LPG cylinders, and FDI in multi-brand retail, failing which it threatened to intensify its agitation.
Party insiders said one serious option that could be considered is withdrawing its Cabinet Minister for Railways and six other Ministers of State at the Centre unless the government rolls back some of its decisions at least partially.
Banerjee is slated to consult party leaders and MPs on Tuesday to chalk out the next course of action.
Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi, however, remained confident of "sorting out" differences and described Mamata Banerjee as an "important and valued colleague" in the UPA.
TMC sources said the way out could be that the Centre could effect a token cut on the Rs five per litre hike in diesel prices and give more subsidised LPG cylinders and not restrict them to six.
However, TMC, which has 19 MPs in Lok Sabha, is said to be strongly opposed to allowing FDI in multi-brand retailing.
Lashing out at the Government, BJP leader Balbir Punj said it has lost the faith of common man and its isolation is complete as even its allies are not being able to live with it due to the "arrogance" of Congress.
Upping the ante, JD-U said that the government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will have to go for this "dangerous venture". Party President Sharad Yadav expressed confidence that Mamata Banerjee won't support FDI in retail under any circumstances.
Yadav, who is the NDA convener, indicated that the coordinated agitation by the Opposition on September 20, will strive to ensure that the government is ousted.
In Kolkata, Left parties today announced a 12-hour all-India general strike on September 20 coinciding with the agitation by other opposition parties and UPA supporter SP.
"We have talked to other parties in this short time and decided on this protest by way of the 12-hour all-India strike," CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters.
SP and BSP, the outside supporters of UPA government, have also strongly opposed these decisions.
While SP, which has 22 MPs in Lok Sabha, has said that it was continuing support to the government to keep the communal forces at bay, BSP, with a strength of 21 MPs, has said its executive will meet on October 9 or 10 to consider whether to continue its outside support or not.
In a joint statement, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav along with Left parties, JD(S), BJD and TDP yesterday called for a powerful protest on September 20 alleging the government has "stuck cruel blows on the people one after another" by raising diesel price, limiting subsidised cooking gas, opening up of multi-brand retail and disinvestment of PSUs.
Claiming that the coordinated agitation by non-UPA parties against these policies on September 20 will culminate in the "ouster of this government", JD-U President Sharad Yadav expressed confidence that Trinamool Congress, SP and BSP will also not back the government on these measures.
Drawing parallels of the government's move on FDI in retail with Emergency, Yadav said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who used to work for the World Bank, "should go back to the World Bank".
Asked how sure was he of the support of Mamata Banerjee, who has given an ultimatum to the government on the issue, Yadav said, "She never gives fake threats".
In Mumbai, Bal Thackeray-led Shiv Sena asked the Trinamool Congress and NCP to withdraw support to the UPA government.
Addressing a rally at the famous Siddhivinayak temple in central Mumbai in the presence of hundreds of partymen, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray asked Banerjee to stop just threatening the government and withdraw its support.
"Mamata Banerjee should simply stop threatening the UPA government and withdraw the support," he said.
BJP's Balbir Punj said UPA's isolation is complete because its own allies cannot live up with its arrogance and anti-people policies."
Punj said he was "not at all surprised" that Banerjee has "decided to withdraw support. This was predictable".
