Mamata to attend UPA coordination meeting

New Delhi, Aug 22: West Bengal Chief Minister

reached New Delhi on Tuesday to attend the meeting of the newly set up United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coordination committee meeting on Wednesday. Banerjee's

(TMC) is a key ally of the UPA led by the Congress.

TMC all-India General Secretary Mukul Roy had said earlier that Defence Minister A K Antony had met Banerjee in Kolkata last week and requested her to attend the UPA meeting. The coordination committee has been formed to discuss important political and economic issues. Issues lie FDI in retail sector, forward trading amendment bill are expected to be taken up at the meeting.

The Bengal CM's visit is also important with regard to her deamand for a three-year moratorium on payment of interests on loans of about Rs 2.3 lakh crore taken by the previous Left Front regime. The TMC supremo did not attend the August 8 meeting of the coordination committee.

Mamata not to support BJP seeking PM's resignation

Meanwhile, the BJP was looking to get the TMC by its side to corner the UPA government over the coal scam. BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain and Rajiv Pratap Rudy met with Banerjee at the Delhi airport after she reached there. The two BJP leaders, however, said that it was just a 'chance meeting' and wasn't anything political. Banerjee, however, said on Wednesday that she would not support the BJP's demand seeking the PM's resignation. The TMC said they wanted a discussion on the coal report.

The Opposition led by the BJP has launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA government over the Coalgate scam, demanding an immediate resignation from the PM for he was also the Coal Minister when the cal block allocation was made. The Parliament was also disrupted for two days in a row.

OneIndia News