New Delhi: Stung by the Saradha chit fund scam, Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday decided to skip the all-party meeting called by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister.
Citing that the meet was called on a short notice, TMC's Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien today said, “TMC will skip the all-party meet.”
In a tweet, the TMC leader said that the Parliament affairs minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy has called an all-party meeting at short notice on Sunday which TMC would not attend.
He further said, "TMC not attending this all-party meeting. We are not available at BJP's beck and call. Written a letter recording our point of view."
"Parl Affairs Min Rajiv Rudy's called all-party meet at short notice on Sunday. Why not working day? Betrays govt panic before Session", O'Brien said.
"Govt has pro-MNC agenda. We have pro-people line. Blackmoney, poll reform, communalism, political vendetta, 100-day hoax. Will raise all", he added.
Meanwhile, an all-party meeting was today called by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in the national capital to ensure smooth functioning of the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament.
The Winter Session of Parliament will begin on November 24 and end on December 23. It will consist of 22 sittings.
There are 67 bills currently pending before the Parliament. Of these, nine bills were introduced in the previous Session of Parliament, while 40 of these were introduced in the 15th Lok Sabha, which was the regime of the UPA II Government. 18 other bills are pending from the earlier Lok Sabhas.
Speculations are ripe that TMC's denial on tomorrow's all-party meet has come a day after in a big embarrassment for the ruling party, the CBI yesterday arrested its Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose for alleged involvement in the Saradha scam. He is the third TMC leader and second TMC MP to be arrested in the case.
The arrest is said to be the biggest so far in the Ponzi scam and a major setback for West Bnegal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.
Srinjoy Bose was arrested exactly a year after Kunal Ghosh was booked for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore rupee scam which duped lakhs of hapless depositors across India.
Earlier in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a blistering attack against the Modi government, accusing it of "selective vendetta" against her and the party and dared the Centre to impose President's rule and arrest her.
"Our fight against political vendetta has started. They have attacked us, we will reply politically," she said while addressing several thousands of party workers from different districts assembled at the Netaji Indoor Stadium and even outside.
Referring to the arrest of her party MP Srinjay Bose, she claimed that the BJP was actually targeting her because she attended a Congress-organised event in Delhi recently to mark Jawaharlal Nehru's 125 birth anniversary.
"Just because I went to Delhi to attend a conclave of secular parties, they took revenge by arresting our MP," Banerjee said adding "I take up this challenge and I will attend such programmes for secularism a hundred and thousand times".
"I do not need character certificate from the BJP," she added.
"I do not need any certificate of my credentials from them. My credentials are known to the people of Bengal," she said, wondering "Why anyone did not question the BJP about how they spent crores of rupees in elections".
"Those who have several cases of rioting against them, how can they point fingers at us? They want to finish secularism. They want to finish regional parties," she said targetting the BJP-led government at the Centre.
(With Agency inputs)
