New Delhi:
On a day that Mamata Banerjee is likely formally withdraw support to the government, Prime Minister Manmohan Sigh will address the nation. Sources say that the PM wants to personally put across to the country his point of view as an explanation for the tough economic decisions the government has taken last week.
The UPA government announced a hike in the prices of diesel, a cap on subsidised LPG and allowing foreign investment in retail. Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress announced its withdrawal from government in protest. All Trinamool ministers will resign tomorrow. It is also likely to formally withdraw its letter of support if it gets time from the President.
The PM in his address to the nation is likely to explain the need for the reform measures. He will tell the country that it is going through trying times in a tough economic environment. The PM and the government have often been accused of having a communication problem and observers see this address as an attempt to beat that impression as well.
The PM has been seen as the man guiding this latest burst of economic reforms and has been able to rally the government and the Congress party behind him to not buckle under political pressure. On Tuesday, when Ms Banerjee announced her decision to withdraw support, he had told his Cabinet colleagues that they must "stay the course" with economic reforms.
The government today also issued a formal notification on FDI in retail, along with FDI in civil aviation, broadcasting and power exchanges, giving effect to the cabinet decision taken last week.