As Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee would not have accepted these reforms: Trinamool Congress

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee today claimed had Pranab Mukherjee remained Finance Minister, he would not have accepted "anti-people" reforms.

He said Mukherjee was made the President as the UPA government would not have been able to carry out "anti-people" reforms with he as Finance Minister.

"Pranab Mukherjee was made the President because had he been the Finance Minister, he would not have accepted these decisions. He was made President as a strategy," Mukherjee, also TMC vice-president, said at a meeting of the party's trade union members here.

He said Trinamool would bring a resolution in the Lok Sabha to oppose FDI in retail, insurance and pension fund, diesel price hike and cap on subsidised LPG.

"We have 19 Lok Sabha members and we hope that those who love the country will support our resolution," he said adding BJP leader L K Advani's opposition to FDI was not that aggressive as BJP wants Congress to go out of power under the effect of UPA's "anti-people" decisions.

Reacting to Mukherjee's remarks, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Pradeep Bhattacharya told PTI that these people don't have any idea of the august office of the President.

"It were these people, particularly the person who has made this statement who had used bad language against Pranab Mukherjee in the course of the presidential elections. Now they have made a volte-face. People will not trust them," Bhattacharya, the party MP, said.