The Trinamool Congress will focus on “people’s issues” in the ongoing winter session of the Parliament because it does want the focus to be on just “one issue” – the Adani case, party leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said on Wednesday.
In contrast to the Congress’ approach, which is aggressively raking up the issue of industrialist Gautam Adani’s conglomerate being indicted with fraud and bribery charges in the United States, the TMC has said that it will maintain its focus on people-centric issues. Among these, the party listed the tense situation in Manipur and the alleged central funds deprivation to West Bengal.
“TMC will sharply focus on people’s issues to raise in Parliament,” said Dastidar, who is the deputy leader of the party in Lok Sabha.
The Mamata Banerjee-led party’s remarks came after the Adani matter was raised in both the Lower and Upper Houses, which ended with the Houses being adjourned without conducting much business.
“TMC wants Parliament to run. We don’t want one issue to disrupt Parliament. We must hold this government accountable for its multiple failures,” Dastidar told reporters.
TMC, though a constituent of the opposition’s INDIA bloc nationally, does not partner with the group electorally. It has maintained that while it continues to be a part of the bloc, it also has a different outlook.
“We will take on the BJP but our outlook on how to take on the BJP can be strategically different,” the TMC leader said, adding that her party does not have an electoral alliance with any party but it still wins.
Meanwhile, she noted that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will attend the oath-taking ceremony of Jharkhand CM-elect Hemant Soren.
TMC working committee meeting
The issues that are to be taken up in the winter session were discussed during the meeting of TMC’s working committee on Monday.
The key issue of the party continues to be the stoppage of MGNREGA and other central funds for West Bengal. It is also looking at bringing up inflation, unemployment, and fertilizer shortage issues in the Parliament.
Also on TMC’s agenda list are the situation in Northeast, the violence in Manipur, and the delay in clearance of the Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill.
The pending Aparajita bill was referred to President Droupadi Murmu by Governor CV Ananda Bose.
These issues were finalised on the list as the party’s working committee felt that these issues were important for the people, PTI reported citing a TMC source.
Additionally, the TMC on Monday also skipped an INDIA bloc meeting where the group’s leaders held discussions about demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to look into issues related to the Adani Group.
The Mamata Banerjee-led party also skipped out on the opposition meeting held on Wednesday, which was called to discuss the issues that were going to be raised in the winter session of the Parliament.
Notably, the TMC leaders have sought time from President Murmu to meet her and discuss the Aparajita bill, which seeks capital punishment for rape convicts if their actions result in the victim’s death or leave her in a vegetative state. It seeks life sentence without parole for other perpetrators. The bill was unanimously passed by the West Bengal Assembly on September 3.
(with inputs from PTI)