Trinamool will take ‘historic decision’ today

Party slams 'motivated ad' published by Centre

With the 72-hour deadline given to the Centre by Mamata Banerjee on the FDI issue ending tomorrow, core Trinamool Congress leaders said Tuesday's meeting of the party's parliamentary delegation regarding their stand on FDI will produce a "historic decision".

"A historic decision will be taken at tomorrow's meeting. Our party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is the last word for us. Whatever be the decision, it will be in favour of the common people," Madan Mitra, state transport minister and senior Trinamool leader, said on Monday.

However, he did not comment when asked if the party was mulling withdrawal of its ministers from the Union Cabinet.

"All I can say is that a land mark decision will be taken," Mitra said. When asked whether they thought the Trinamool will be marginalized if it withdraws support from the Centre, Mitra said: "Since the birth of our party we have gone through crucial junctures. We know how to combat crisis."

On Monday, the crack in the Congress-Trinamool alliance widened after the Union petroleum ministry issued an advertisement asking state governments to withdraw tax and cess on diesel to make it cheaper. Senior Trinamool leader and state panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee termed the advertisement a "politically motivated move" of the Centre.

"The advertisement gives a hint about intervention of the Centre in the federal structure. Let the Centre withdraw all taxes on petrol and diesel first," Mukherjee said, adding that such an advertisement was "bad in taste and a worst precedent".

The advertisement virtually rubbed salt on the wounds of the Trinamool Congress which has already threatened to take "hard steps" against the Centre after UPA gave the nod to FDI in multi-brand retail.

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