Mamata Banerjee pulls out of UPA, Ministers to resign

Kolkata, Sept 18: Trinamool Congress, the second biggest coalition party of the UPA, on September 18,Tuesday decided to withdraw support to the Manmohan Singh government over the issue of diesel price hike, cap on subsidised LPG cylinders and FDI in retail.

"We will not be in UPA-II. Our ministers will go to Delhi on Friday, meet the Prime Minister and submit their resignations at 3 pm," TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced at a press conference here.

"We are not responsible if the country is forced to go for a mid-term poll," Banerjee said. "This government can stay for three months or six months, I don't know. They have lost the credibility. And if they cannot maintain friendship with us, then they cannot maintain friendship with anybody," she added.

Mamata announced her party's decision after a meeting of the Trinamool Congress' parliamentary party, which went on for over three hours.
All India Trinamool Congress also tweeted "TMC Union Ministers to submit resignations on Friday and TMC to pull out from UPA"

"The UPA government did not consult us before the price hike," Banerjee said.

Mamata Banerjee said the Central government was not a one-party rule. "The government depends on the support of others. But in (West) Bengal, we have a majority of our own and we are not dependant on others," she said.

"The FDI decision was taken to suppress the coalgate issue," the West Bengal CM said.

UPA was having 273 members in Lok Sabha. But with out Trinamool congress it comes down to 254. Trinamool is having 19 members in the Loksabha. (See the position in Loksabha)