Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday announced that he will continue to demonstrate outside Raj Bhavan till Governor C.V. Ananda Bose gives the party delegation an audience.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Banerjee led a rally of thousands of party supporters including MPs, MLAs and Ministers of State government to Raj Bhawan, even as the Governor was not at Raj Bhavan. Mr. Bose left for north Bengal early in the morning to visit areas affected by the floods in Teesta river.
“We will continue our peaceful agitation here (outside Raj Bhavan). I will stay here and will not budge even an inch till the Governor meets our delegation and answers these two questions,” the Trinamool general secretary told party supporters.
The Diamond Harbour MP said that he has two clarifications from the West Bengal Governor. “We have 20 lakh workers from Bengal worked under MGNREGA or not? If yes, what law has been used to withhold their wages for the past two years?” Mr. Banerjee said.
The Trinamool leader said cannot one ask poor people to work and then refuse to pay their wages and West Bengal will fight against this ‘Zamidari system’. Since the Governor was not at Raj Bhavan, a group of 25 persons, including 15 party leaders and 10 people who have not received wages went to the Raj Bhavan and handed over a letter to the Governor’s secretariat.
According to Trinamool Congress, the party has sought the Mr. Bose on Tuesday seeking an appointment. The Governor replied that he is unavailable.
The protest by Trinamool Congress general secretary in Kolkata was held within 48 hours of the party’s demonstration in Delhi. The party has held protests outside Raj Ghat on October 2 and at Jantar Mantar on October 3.
On October 3, Mr. Banerjee and other party leaders were dragged out of Krishi Bhawan when they went to meet Union Minister of State Sadvi Niranjan Jyoti. The party had taken about 2,500 people who had worked under MGNREGS but were denied wages to Delhi.
Funds under MGNREGS to West Bengal have been stopped by the Ministry of Rural Development since December 2021 on ground of corruption in the implementation of the scheme.
Later in the day, Mr. Bose issued a statement, “Going to zameen (mati, soil) is not zamindari. Refusing to go to zameen and controlling the farmers from cosy city palaces is neo-zamindari. Mati is sacred for the Governor and so are the maanush who live by the mati,” the Governor said.
He added he was informed that “they (Trinamool Congress) are gheraoing the Raj Bhavan, and the Governor’s was response- “Gherao nahi Ghar aao” (Don’t lay seige come to home) “.
The statement added that the Trinamool said when they came to Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, to submit a mass petition, “the Governor fled”.
The Governor said, “Yes, when I heard that my people were suffering the ravages of flood, I took a flight and reached them as fast as I could. In a way, I fled.” He added that there was agreement between him and the Trinamool on all aspects stressing, “Sabko sanmati de Bhagwan ( May God grant wisdom to all)“.
CPI(M) demonstration
During the day when Trinamool Congress was marching to Raj Bhavan, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held a demonstration in front of the CBI and the ED offices at the Central Government Officers (CGO) complex in Salt Lake.
The CPI(M) leaders led by party State Secretary Md. Salim demanded that central agencies should conclude the investigation on various corruption cases which they are probing in West Bengal at the earliest.
The CPI(M) leadership also alleged a ‘setting (tacit understanding)’ between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
