THE MAMATA WAY
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent warning that the Trinamool Congress would “take a political call” unless the state is granted a substantial fiscal package has found endorsement from an unlikely quarter. Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh told Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that “Mamata ki safalta mein aapka bhi bhala hai ( your salvation lies in Mamata’s success).” Ramesh was in Chandigarh on May 10 to address a seminar on rural development policies and programmes. Like West Bengal and Kerala, Punjab too has sought a moratorium on the repayment of Rs 22,000 crore arising from its borrowings on small savings.