Written by: Express News Service
2 min readKolkataDec 3, 2011 03:02 AM IST
First published on: Dec 3, 2011 at 03:02 AM IST
Reiterating that her party will not change its stand against FDI in retail,West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today that her party with 19 Lok Sabha MPs would not vote against the government on the issue.
There are many issues on which I could not agree with the government. We are politically opposed to it. But I am not in favour of toppling the government, Banerjee said. The DMK,too,has signalled that it is against the FDI decision but would support the government if there is a vote.
Banerjee,who went to Hooghly today 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 governments policy of bringing 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail.
The prime minister called me today and enquired about my mothers 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, she said.
Banerjees 81-year-old mother Gayatri Devi has been in hospital for a week and is said to be in a critical condition. Banerjee said that 50 per cent of the states population was agri-market mediators and agri-retailers. In our manifesto,we promised to protect their interests and maintained a stand against FDI in retail. How can we make a volte face now? Banerjee said. The government is talking of helping farmers through FDI in retail but why hasnt it come out with an increased minimum support price?
Banerjee said that the state couldnt offer higher support prices for paddy unless the Centre increased it. Jute growers were also in acute crisis,she said. The government should have addressed these issues first before opening up retail to FDI,she said. Her main concern,she said,was the financial package for Bengal. I have asked the prime minister to meet his commitments on the financial package, Banerjee said.
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