Bengal financial crisis: Pranab to meet Guv

Trinamool mounts pressure,to meet PM; Sharad Pawar backs government on fuel hike

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to hold a meeting on Tuesday here with West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan who had discussed the states financial issues with the former recently,official sources said on Sunday night.

The meeting,which will be held at the Raj Bhavan,assumes significance as Narayanan had taken up the financial issue a week after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked the Centre to treat the state differently and sought a debt-restructuring plan.

Following the meeting with Mukherjee on October 28 in New Delhi,Narayanan had said he discussed the money issue with Mukherjee who was favourable to our demands.

On the same day (November 8),Trinamool Congress MPs are likely to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the partys unhappiness with the petrol price hike. After a talk with the Prime Minister,well return here (Kolkata) on November 9 and report to party supremo Mamata Banerjee who will take the final call, Chief Whip of the Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay told PTI on Sunday.

I have sent a letter to the PMO seeking an appointment with the premier on November 8. I am expecting that the appointment will be fixed on November 8 since the PMO told me that he will be abroad on November 9, said Bandyopadhyay,also Union Minister of State for Health.

In Jalgaon (Maharashtra),NCP chief Sharad Pawar backed the government on the issue. There is no point in blaming the government for increase in the domestic prices (of fuel) as they are related to fluctuations in the international markets, Pawar said,defending the Prime Minister on deregulation of fuel prices.

On the Trinamool Congresss threat to withdraw from the government,Pawar said,Our stand is to remain with the government.

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Asked to comment on the Prime Ministers remarks on deregulation,Pawar said Singh was an economist of international repute. I am not a super economist to comment on what the Prime Minister has stated, he said.

Singh has defended the hike in petrol prices,saying there should be further movement towards deregulation of fuel prices.

Bandyopadhyay said he would leave for Delhi on Monday and other Trinamool MPS would be reaching the capital on November 8.

Well express our concern to the Prime Minister. There is a huge lack of co-ordination among the constituents in the UPA. No meeting is held with the allies before taking policy decisions. We want to express our sentiments to the Prime Minister. We are a pro-people party. Fuel prices were hiked 11 times in 12 months, he said.

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Banerjee has threatened to quit the UPA on the contentious issue. With her 18 Lok Sabha MPs,Banerjee is the Congresss second largest ally of the UPA. Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi is the only Cabinet minister from the party. Other Trinamool ministers are Mukul Roy,Sudeep Bandyopadhyay,Saugata Roy,CM Jatua,Sisir Adhikari and Sultan Ahmed.

State-owned oil companies had on Friday increased the price of petrol by Rs 1.80 per litre,the second raise in less than two months. The hike in petrol prices led to allegations of a midnight massacre by the BJP.

The hike has also drawn flak from Mayawati in UP,J Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu and leaders of several other political parties.