Don't want the UPA government to collapse, says Mamata Banerjee

• Posted by Sindhuri G August 29, 2012 - Filed in Business - 1,968 views

  KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: In what signals a clear reluctance of Congress allies to rock the UPA boat, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has said that her party wanted the government at the Centre to complete its term.
  
  "We want the UPA government and will not like it to collapse," Banerjee told reporters at Writers' Buildings, when asked to comment on the possibility of a mid-term poll.
  
  The Trinamool Congress chief's statement must be comforting for the government as the stability of the government hinges on the reflexes of three Ms - Mamata, Mulayam and Mayawati. Although SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav has been exhorting his cadre to be prepared for early polls, his flock has been energetically backing Congress inside Parliament. Mayawati, too, has been mindful of Congress' interests inside the House.
  
  In any case, UP leaders are not known to be swayed by the issue of corruption and their political calculations depend on factors like primordial loyalties and social engineering. But unlike the two UP parties, Banerjee on Tuesday clearly indicated that that her position was more nuanced.
  
  In her interaction with the media, she was unwilling to give a clean chit to the Centre, which is under attack over the coal block allocation scandal. "My party is discussing the issue and whatever we have to say, Derek O Brien (party spokesman) will brief you about it," Banerjee said.
  
  Her subsequent statements to the media suggested that she would exploit the vulnerability of the Centre to extract a good deal for her state.
  
  The chief minister reiterated her demand for granting of a three-year moratorium on loan interest repayment by the Centre. "If Punjab can get special grant from the Centre, why should not we get a moratorium?" Mamata Banerjee added that it was becoming extremely difficult for her government to cope with the huge loan burden incurred by the previous Left Front government.
  
  As things stand now, Congress would not mind some hard bargaining by its allies as long as they ensure the longevity of the government. With Congress suffering serious setbacks in its traditional areas and the party unable to make any headway in large tracts of the Hindi heartland, its leadership cannot afford an early election.