Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress, which has opposed the Centre on various issues like FDI in retail, NCTC and petrol price hike, on Tuesday said it is still a part of the UPA, but will not hesitate to take up people's issues.
"We are still in the government. But, whenever the interest of the people are concerned, we are ready to raise our voice," Trinamool Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay told on Tuesday from Delhi when asked if there was any possibility of the party pulling out of the central government.
On the possibility of the party joining a 'Third Front', being speculated after Congress' poor show in the recent Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa, Bandyopadhyay said, "No decision has been taken by the party. It is for our party chief Mamata Banerjee to take any decision in this regard."
He announced that party MPs would stage a two-hour dharna outside Parliament on March 15 to press for West Bengal's financial demands.
"Since we came to power in West Bengal no financial assistance has been given to us by the Centre inspite of our demands. We have been demanding a moratorium for three years on the interest but to no effect as yet," he said.
Stating that the WB government was paying the Centre Rs 22,000 crore annually as interest on the huge loans taken by the earlier Left Front government, Bandyopadhyay said, "The interest of Bengal cannot be allowed to suffer.
"Government of West Bengal under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee is facing huge difficulties. Our main demand is that Bengal should not be put to financial uncertainty.
"We are not begging, but the state government has to bear the brunt of an enormous debt left behind by the former Left Front government," he said.
The Trinamool Congress is the second largest ally of UPA with 19 MPs.
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