Saturday, February 5 2005 10:12 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee last night (Feb 4, 2005) alleged that there was a trade-off between Left parties and the Congress on the FDI hike in the telecom sector and the one per cent increase in EPF interest rate.

A 'deal' was struck at a breakfast meeting of Congress and Left leaders co-ordination committee where the Leftists gave the go ahead to raise the FDI limit in the telecom sector from 49 per cent to 74 per cent, while the Centre would concede the demand of the Left parties to raise the EPF interest rate by one per cent, Banerjee claimed at a press conference in Kolkata.

"In politics there must be transparency," she said warning that her party would expose the 'trade-off'.

"We will launch a State-wide movement against the hike in the FDI limit in the telecom sector which is against national interest. I will take part in a dharna on the issue in Kolkata on February 6," she said.

She also said that the EPFO's move to park funds of EPF in equities would lead to uncertainty regarding the hard-earned money of lakhs of EPF subscribers.

She said that Communists could not be trusted. "The Communists will sell-out the Congress which is now taking its support to run the Government at the Centre," the Trinamool Congress supremo said.