By IANS,
New Delhi : Members of the Trinamool Congress, the second largest constituent in the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), stayed away from parliament for the second day Friday, causing the Congress much concern.
Trinamool chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is known to have serious differences with Home Minister P. Chidambaram over his anti-Maoist policies and none of the party MPs was present when parliament debated the counter-Maoist strategy Thursday in the wake of the April 6 massacre of 76 security personnel in Chhattisgarh.
Party leader and Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Roy said the Trinamool MPs could not attend the proceedings as two union ministers belonging to the party were attacked by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) workers.
“Two of our ministers, Mukul Roy and Sultan Ahmed, were attacked two days ago by CPI-M goons and our leaders are holding protests in West Bengal,” Roy told IANS over telephone.
He said the party would decide Sunday whether to attend the house proceedings from Monday onwards.
A Congress MP, requesting not to be named, said: “Their absence is a matter of concern. We hope that the Trinamool Congress MPs will be present in the house from Monday onwards.”
The absence of the Trinamool Congress MPs has embarrassed the Congress as the party-led UPA government appears to be on a weak wicket with the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) deciding to join the anti-Congress, anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposition like the Left parties to move a cut motion in parliament demanding a rollback in prices of petrol, diesel and fertilisers.
The BJP has also announced that it would move a cut motion on the budgetary proposal in the Lok Sabha. A cut motion is moved by opposition parties when they want a slash in certain provisions of a financial bill. When such cut motions are put to vote,it puts to test the strength of the government in parliament. If cut motions are carried and the official finance bill’s provisions are defeated, it implies the government has lost the trust of the house.
The Finance Bill will be taken up for voting and passing on April 22.