Will Mamata Banerjee quit UPA? Who said what

New Delhi: Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee is meeting her party leaders to decide whether to withdraw support from the UPA over the government's decision to allow Foreign Direct Investment or FDI in multi-brand retail, to hike diesel prices and to restrict subsidised gas cylinders to six per household in a year.

Here are some reactions on the big story of the day:

Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Chief Minister, Trinamool Congress chief (On Facebook, September 14)
We cannot support price hike on diesel and reduction in subsidized LPG cylinders. Today, a decision has been taken allowing FDI in Retail Sector. It is a big jolt. We are really sorry. We cannot support anything that is against the interest of the poor and common people. Loot cholchhe loot (Loot is going on).

Sometimes speech is silver and silence is golden. We are not party to it. We are not supporting these anti-people decisions. We are very much serious about these developments and ready to take hard decisions if these issues are not reconsidered.

Kunal Ghosh, Trinamool MP
We have made our position clear. We are opposed to the series of anti-people decisions taken by the government. We have conveyed it to the central government and to the people. The Centre should change its attitude. We are heading for a strong stand. We don't believe in these kinds of reforms. We are afraid more anti-people decisions will be taken in near future. We have to block such decisions. We are with the people. Mamata Banerjee is going to take a strong stand. We don't have the numbers to dominate the government but we can raise our voice in favour of people. Congress also does not have numbers but it is behaving as if the UPA is its private property. We are heading for a strong decision. Enough is enough. If the only solution to come out of financial crisis is to put the burden on common man, then we have to think practically.

We don't want to create any position to destabilise the government but what can we do when the government itself taking suicidal decisions? We were with the people - common people, poor people and farmers. We are with them. Mamata Banerjee will be with the people but the ball is in the court of the Central government now. They have to choose their front. They are taking anti-people series of decisions that has to be stopped.

Saugata Roy, Trinamool MP, Minister of State for Urban Development
The government at the Centre is not a one-party government. It is one party having a majority supported by others. Any decision that the Centre takes should be in consultation with the allies. But TMC has not been consulted. If the party decides to pull its ministers from the government, so be it. I am hoping that some compromise will be arrived at.

P Chidambaram, Finance Minister
"I do not think that the government is facing any threat. The government is stable. There are allies both in the government and outside. I am confident that they will continue to support us. I think ultimately we will be able to convince our allies that what we have done is not only necessary but also imperative in order to keep the economy going. I can quote what the Chief Minister of West Bengal (Mamata Banerjee) said - 'I understand the gravity of the economic crisis'.

Anand Sharma, Commerce Minister
I am sure Mamata Banerjee will see something is benefitting farmers and the younger people and that some policy decision is generating employment. When she asked me to help her bring employment and industry to her state, I told her 'You give us the climate, you give us the assurance and we will bring the industry in to you.' So I think these are the decisions which Mamata and the Trinamool will have to make. I am sure she will have to support the manufacturing revolution of India.

Brinda Karat, CPI(M) MP
Congress knows its allies better than anyone else. So it's upto them how to handle the situation. The party has a tendency to take a mile and give an inch. Because they know their allies. Mamata asking her ministers to resign is not an issue. Anyways they are all absentee ministers. Her party has always accepted the government's policies step by step. It may be the same this time. The main agenda of the Left parties is to ask the government to roll back its policies.

Sudhakar Reddy, CPI General Secretary
It is not important if Mamata Banerjee asks her ministers to resign from the government. It will be significant if she can convince the government to roll back the FDI policy. The message has already been sent by Left, the BJP and several other parties that FDI is not welcome in the country. As an ally she should do more. We believe all this is fixed. She will come to Delhi and give resignations. That is all planned.

Shakeel Ahmed, Senior Congress Leader
Of course we are different parties and we have different takes on different issues and she has clearly distanced herself from the decision of the government on diesel price hike and FDI, as far as these two issues are concerned. But this is for the government to take a call, and I do hope that the leadership of both UPA and Trinamool Congress will be consulting each other to come to an amicable solution. We wish that this government should work unitedly, taking into consideration its constituents, all its alliance partners.

(With inputs from agencies)