Will not withdraw support to UPA, says Mamata

Seeking to scotch speculation over the Trinamool Congress snapping ties with the UPA, Mamata Banerjee on Monday made it clear that her party was not withdrawing support to the Manmohan Singh government and claimed there was no distrust between them.

"Why are you asking me to withdraw? This is wrong," Banerjee, the Railway Minister, angrily told a correspondent when he sought her reaction on the Samajwadi Party reportedly offering to support the UPA if the Congress looked to replace ally Trinamool Congress.

"No, there is no distrust," she said to a question.

Speculation over Banerjee parting ways with the UPA were rife after she decided go it alone in the May 30 Kolkata Municipal Corporation election, holding the Congress responsible for the collapse of the seat-sharing talks.

Seeing the possibility of cosying up to the Congress, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has offered the backing of his 21 MPs for the UPA to be in the comfort zone in the event of TC withdrawing support.

Trinamool Congress, a UPA coalition partner, has 19 members in the Lok Sabha.

Banerjee had earlier said Trinamool would remain in the UPA government as long it was able to with honour.