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Mamata seeks coordination panel for UPA-II

December 23, 2010 23:54 IST
Mamata Bannerjee, a key United Progressive Alliance constituent, has put the cat amongst the pigeons by demanding that the UPA set up a co-ordination committee to discuss important issues and decisions before they are made and implemented. She said the recent petrol price hike was undertaken without her consent.

Of late, Mamata has been critical of the UPA on more than one occasion, often raising issues against the Congress and the government, of which she herself is an important component.

Since the UPA-II came to power in May 2009, the super confident congress with 206 MPs felt they did not need to set up a coordination committee like the previous UPA government, since it was now dealing with relatively smaller allies who could not dictate the agenda as the Left had previously done.

But with elections in West Bengal coming closer, Bannerjee appears to have upped the ante, particularly since the Left is putting the UPA government on the mat on various issues and the Trinamool

Congress has to face them in the state on a daily basis.

The Left parties have taken to the streets in Bengal on the issue of price rise and have declared they would begin a mass agitation against the policies of the central government.

To show that she means business, Bannerjee sent a big delegation of Union ministers, MPs and important state leaders of her party in a delegation to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The TC has demanded the withdrawal of central forces from West Bengal on the grounds that they are being misused by the state government, they have complained about the hike in prices of petrol and onions, the terror unleashed by the CPIM in the state and sought early elections.

Since the prime minister cannot do anything about any of these issues, Bannerjee is obviously playing to the gallery in West Bengal as well as sending the message that when it comes to looking after the interests of the people of Bengal, she is willing to take on the government of which she is a minister.
Renu Mittal in New Delhi