The UPA-II had no right to rule for a single moment as it had turned into a minority Government soon after the DMK withdrew support to it early this month, former Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy said on Friday.
The TMC leader was addressing the media in Kolkata where he said that his leader and party supremo Mamata Banerjee had been saying for the past few months that “this Government has lost all moral rights to rule as it is a minority Government” reminding once again why his party walked out on the “anti-people” dispensation in Delhi after remaining with it for more than two years.
“We supported this Government for more than two years but finally decided to come out of it on account of its anti-people policies,” he said.
Banerjee had pulled the plug on the UPA-II Government in September last year after a dozen of false alarms protesting against FDI in retail trade, rising prices of diesel and fertilisers. However, the more pertinent irritant that hastened the separation was the Chief Minister’s pet peeve on lack of financial support to a debt-ridden Bengal by the Centre.
Her charges notwithstanding, Union Ministers including P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh defended the Centre showing how thousands of crores had returned to Delhi as the State had failed to spend the money sent by them.
Even as the Bengal Chief Minister continued to proffer the apology of Central non-cooperation in her public meetings, she backed the Centre on Sri lankan issue saying her Government would support the Centre on international affairs leading the political grapevine to wonder whether the two parties were coming closer once again.
However, throwing cold water on all such speculation, Roy on Friday insisted the Chief Minister had categorically expressed her views on FDI, pension Bill, insurance Bills adding “a Government which has lost its majority six months ago should not continue in the fashion as it has been doing. It is bound to go”.
He added, “Simply because they have lost the numbers, they have no moral right to remain in power any further. They are clearly in minority and we want them to resign immediately.” Roy, however, eluded posers as to whether his party would extend support to the Government if at all the SP withdrew support. “I am not authorised to make unanimous comments on policy decisions”, is what he said.