JD-U praises Mamata for her stand against FDI

With Trinamool's 72-hour deadline to the Centre to rollback diesel price hike, LPG subsidy cap and FDI in multi-brand retail coming to an end, opposition JD-U on Monday sought to reach out to Mamata Banerjee saying that she "sticks" to her stand.

Heaping lavish praises on Banerjee for her "tough stand" against FDI in multi-brand retail, JD-U president Sharad Yadav said," she does not change her stand."

"Had Mamata Banerjee not put her foot down like the mighty Angad (a mythological character in Ramayana known for his strength), FDI in multi-brand retail would have been cleared then itself," Yadav said.

Noting that Banerjee had stalled FDI in multi-brand retail earlier, the JD-U chief asked the Left also to come forward and spell out how far they will go with the rest of the Opposition in their coordinated agitation against the government.

"I am confident that they will not go with the government but they should announce it. Nobody other than Manmohan Singh has backed imperialism more," Yadav said in a bid to bring the arch-rivals in West Bengal politics together on the issue.

He also praised both the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, the ruling and the main opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh, who are supporting the UPA government from outside.

"SP is standing on its own strength," he said, describing Mulayam Singh Yadav as a "hardworking person".

Yadav said he is waiting for BSP supremo Mayawati to spell out her stand on September 19 and noted that "what she does impacts the whole nation".

JD-U is hopeful that greater Opposition unity will be witnessed during the September 20 agitation against the FDI in multi-brand retail and diesel hike on line of two Bharat Bandhs earlier.

Yadav, who is also the convener of NDA, also meet Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy on the diesel hike issue.