Mamata Banerjee may go Anna Hazare way, fast in Delhi against FDI

KOLKATA: With the Manmohan Singh government facing stiff opposition on retail FDI entry from parties that are providing it life support, Mamata Banerjee has planned an all-India campaign to boost the anti-FDI mood further.

She will begin her crusade with a protest rally in Haryana on November 2 and may even emulate Gandhian activist Anna Hazare by holding a fast in Delhi to protest against price rise and corruption.

The Trinamool Congress chief's 26-day hunger strike in Kolkata in 2006 against land acquisition in Singur had set in motion events that ultimately led to the ouster of the Left Front government in Bengal after 34 years. Party sources say Mamata is happy with the feedback on her October 1 Jantar Mantar rally and may repeat the act at either Jantar Mantar or Ram Leela Maidan on November 22 and 23 in a show of strength on the eve of Parliament's winter session.

Trinamool Congress organizers, drawing up Mamata Banerjee's agitation programme, say the agitation would help the party corner the government inside Parliament, project the Bengal chief minister as a crusader against anti-people policies, and help her garner the support she needs to move a no-confidence motion against the UPA II government.

Trinamool leaders argue that even if Didi fails to gather the numbers, her consistent opposition would expose the double standard of some among the opposition, including the Left, who have been opposing FDI in retail, insurance and pension but are reluctant to pull down the Manmohan Singh government.

Mamata might also tour parts of Himachal Pradesh where she plans to field candidates in the Assembly polls scheduled on November 4.

However, the Bengal chief minister will give Odisha a miss possibly because CM Naveen Patnaik has ruled out her proposal for a federal front as "too premature". Mamata may also hold a rally in Lucknow on November 17.