New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) A day after the Trinamool Congress quit the ruling UPA, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to meet President Pranab Mukherjee Saturday evening to discuss the political situation, sources said.
“Yes, the prime minister is meeting the president at 5 p.m.,” a source in Rashtrapati Bhavan told IANS.
Six Trinamool Congress ministers resigned from the government Friday and the party gave the president a letter withdrawing support of its 19 MPs from the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition. The UPA has been reduced to a working minority in the Lok Sabha.
However, the government claims it has the support of over 300 MPs in the house.
There has also been talk of a reshuffle in the ministry with six berths getting vacant with the exit of Trinamool ministers.
The Trinamool quit the UPA in protest against its new economic measures – FDI in multi-brand retail, hike in diesel prices, and a cap on subsidised cooking gas cylinders.
Minus the Trinamool, the UPA claims it has 254 MPs. The half-way mark in the 545-member Lok Sabha is 273.
The UPA has now got outside support of the Samajwadi Party (22 MPs), the Bahujan Samaj Party (21 MPs) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (4).
