FDI: Mamata won’t back,won’t topple

Banerjee,who today went to Hooghly with other ministers as part of her programme of district tours,said that she had a telephonic discussion with the PM where she told him she could not support the government’s policy of bringing 51 per cent DI in multi-brand retail.

“The Prime Minister called me today and enquired about my mother’s health. I thanked him for that. He then asked me to re-consider my stand on FDI. But I told him clearly that our party cannot support it,our stand on this is declared in our manifesto” Banerjee said.

Banerjee’s 81-year-old mother Gayatri Devi has been in hospital for the last one week and she is stated to be critical.

Banerjee said that 50 per cent of the state’s population were agri-market mediators and agri-retailers. “In our manifesto,we promised to protect their interest and maintained a stand against FDI in retail. How can we make a volte face now?” Banerjee said. “The government is talking of benefiting the farmers through FDI in retail,but why hasn’t it come out with an increased minimum support price?”

Banerjee said that the state couldn’t offer higher support prices for paddy unless the Centre increased it. Jute growers were also in acute crisis with market conditions not favouring them. The government should have addressed this issues first before opening the retail to FDI,she opined.

He main concern,she said,was the financial package. “I have asked the Prime Minister to meet his commitments on the financial package,” Banerjee said.