Kolkata, Sep 20: Remaining firm on her party's decision to pull out of the UPA government, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said that party union ministers would submit their resignations tomorrow and also give the letter of withdrawal of support to the President if given time.
"We have already taken a collective decision. Our ministers will submit their resignation letters (to the Prime Minister). We have also sought an appointment with the honourable President tomorrow, if he gives time.
"All our ministers have already left for Delhi and will submit their resignations tomorrow. The decision has already been taken. Commitment is commitment."
Asked whether she had any plan to go Delhi, Banerjee retorted "Tell me why I will go to Delhi? Rs 100 crore? Advertisement? What bargain? I don't believe so. Our credential is our commitment."
Asked if she would consult other political parties on the issues she had raised, she said "The road will show the way when you take the road. We have cordial relations with all and you will yourselves find that all have become one automatically."
Sticking to her stiff opposition to FDI in retail, Banerjee said "We will not accept retail and we will never accept in future. We will resist its entry.
"This decision is unrealistic and anti-people. You can't sell out your country to FDI. People will silence the voices of those who are favouring entry of FDI in retail. We honour the people's voice. Let people decide. Let the country decide."
When a correspondent told her that the West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Pradip Bhattacherjee had stated that Congress in Bengal, a coalition partner, would snap ties with TMC, Banerjee said "let them give it in writing and I will be happy.
"It has to be seen whether it is his individual opinion or the opinion of the party."
She said that her party would would hit the streets in Kolkata and hold rallies and meetings in Delhi to protest FDI in retail and other 'anti-people policies' of the Centre.
Banerjee who opposed the bandh called by the Left parties on FDI in retail, diesel price hike and cap on LPG cylinders, said, "We confront politically and not by force the way CPI(M) does.
"Bandh serves no purpose, it causes huge economic loss. We are the first in Bengal to register our protest for which we have decided to withdraw support from the government. We are proud for it."
Banerjee said there is no room for negotiations on the issue of FDI in retail and ruled out going to Delhi for any talks with the Congress leadership.
After Trinamool's withdrawal of support, the UPA government's support in Lok Sabha will come down from 273 to 254 and the coalition will be heavily dependent on Samajwadi Party (22) and BSP (21) for its majority in the House.
For a simple majority, government needs the support of at least 273 MPs in a House of 545.
But the government remained unperturbed over any threat to its stability following Trinamool's decision.
"We had enough friends yesterday, we have enough friends today. So, I don't think why you should doubt our stability," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters in Delhi.
Asked whether the government would look for new allies, he said," If we can acquire new friends, why would we not."
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said the government is stable as it has the support of 300 MPs in the Lok Sabha.
However, key outside supporter SP Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav shared the stage with Left and other parties to attack the government's "anti-people" policies on FDI in retail, diesel price hike and the cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders.
He kept open the option of floating a Third Front, saying there was no better example than today's "huge protests" to usher in a new political alternative.
Yadav, who unlike the Left leaders did not share the stage with BJP leaders in a nearby protest venue at the Jantar Mantar in the Capital, said SP was supporting the government only to keep communal forces at bay.
"I have said this several times that we are supporting the Government only to stop communal forces (from coming to power). But we will not tolerate price rise," he told reporters after courting arrest along with CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat, CPI leader A B Bardhan and former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda.
He said if the UPA Government does not roll back its recent decisions immediately as per their demands "we will announce together a strategy to hold a big agitation."
Asked whether this would lead to emergence of a Third Front, he said: "What will be a bigger example than this?"
Earlier, addressing the protesters, he said: "The government has been coming out with policies after policies that affect people of this country. The biggest loser of these policies especially diesel price hike is farmers. Farmers have been put to lot of trouble."
Speaking separately to reporters, SP General Secretary and national spokesman Ram Gopal Yadav said any decision on continuance of support to the UPA will be taken after the agitation.
Reacting to Mulayam Singh Yadav's statement on Third Front, Karat said," Mulayam should give the lead both inside and outside Parliament."
