BJP warns Mamata on no trust motion

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has called up Lok Sabha Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj to seek the Bharatiya Janata Party's support for her move to bring a No-Confidence Motion against the United Progressive Alliance government, BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said on Sunday.

He sounded circumspect about the consequences in the event of the motion's failure.

Asked if the TMC's decision to move a No-Confidence Motion in Parliament was a correct one -- given the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party's outside support to UPA, Joshi told a press conference, "Opposing Foreign Direct Investment is a correct stand, but if the TMC brings in the No-Confidence Motion, it is up to it to accept the consequences."

"TMC doesn't have the numbers and will depend on other parties' support. Despite that, if the TMC leadership decides to go ahead, they should be prepared for whatever the consequences may be," he cautioned.

Explaining what he meant, Joshi said if the numbers were not adequate and the motion failed, the government would become safe for the next six months and another such motion cannot be brought within that period.

"Again, if the motion is passed and the government falls, you have to think of the next course of action," he pointed out.

Joshi said once Swaraj returned to Delhi from Mumbai after attending Bal Thakeray's funeral, the National Democratic Alliance leadership would get together and discuss the issue.

However, there is some good news for Mamata from Communist Party of India veteran Gurudas Dasgupta, who said that his party would support a No-Confidence Motion brought by any party, but pointed out that the TMC, in moving the motion, has to muster the support of the required 50 Members of Parliament.

"We will not take responsibility to save the government if a No-Confidence Motion is admitted in Parliament. We will not walk out, we will vote against the government," Dasgupta emphasised.

The Congress predictably slammed the TMC's move to bring a No-Confidence Motion, with All India Congress Committtee spokesman Shakeel Ahmed telling reporters in Ranchi that the decision amounted to the party "coming closer" to the BJP.

He said the motion would fall through under the weight of 305 MPs.

"A 19-member party like Trinamool Congress tryingg to bring No-Confidence Motion shows its closeness not only to the BJP, but also to the Communist Party of India - Marxist, but it will be defeated by 305 members," he said.

However, the All India Congress Committee spokesman saw a positive side to the announcement, "The positive part of Mamata's announcement is that she will never again say that Congress is the B team of the CPI-M."

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Pradip Bhattacharya told reporters that the move brought out Mamata Banerjee's "lack of sense and principle in politics".

"Mamata knows very well that she can't move the motion alone. Therefore she is banking on the support of communal forces BJP and arch-rival Marxists. This is nothing but a lack of sense and principle in politics," he said.

Bhattacharya alleged that this "friendship between unequals" was only for "convenience at the cost of political ideology" and principle just to "wipe out" Congress.

"With this attitude, Banerjee will have no credibility left to fight against either the BJP or the Marxists," he pointed out.