Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday accepted the resignation of six Trinamool Congress ministers and the Congress decided that all its ministers in Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government will tender their resignations on Saturday.
"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accepted the resignation of Trinmaool ministers and will forward them to President Pranab Mukherjee for acceptance," highly-placed sources in Congress said after the Congress Core Group meeting.
The core committee meeting was chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and attended by the prime minister, among others.
All India Congress Committee in-charge for West Bengal Shakeel Ahmed, speaking separately, said Congress ministers in West Bengal will put in their papers on Saturday evening.
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PM accepts resignation of TMC ministers
He said that according to his information, the West Bengal chief minister, who is out of station, has given them time on Saturday evening.
Congress has two cabinet ministers and four ministers of state in the West Bengal government.
On the issue of withdrawal of support to Banerjee's government in the state, the party would take a call in a day or two. Highly-placed sources said the core group meeting also reviewed the political scenario post the nation-wide bandh by the Opposition on September 20 against the government's decisions on FDI in multi-brand retail, diesel price hike and a cap on the supply of LPG cylinders for households.
The meeting was also attended by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister A K Antony and Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel.
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PM accepts resignation of TMC ministers
It deliberated for around 90 minutes on the political scenario unfolding after Banerjee's party, with 19 Members of Parliament, withdrew support from the United Progressive Alliance government.
The government is for now breathing easy with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had on Thursday joined hands with the Left and other parties on the streets against the reforms, on Friday coming out with a statement backing the UPA.
Minister of state for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla ruled out any threat to the government following the exit of the TMC.
Making light of the demand for a vote in Parliament on the FDI issue and talk of a special session, he said the government has adequate numbers on its side.
Meanwhile, Congress sources said there is already a race for becoming the Leader of the Opposition among Congress members of Legislative Assembly in West Bengal. The party has 42 MLAs, outnumbering the Left Front.
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