"Can't Crush Our Protests In Delhi By Cancelling Trains": Abhishek Banerjee To BJP

Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee Saturday asserted that the party cannot be scared off from its political programmes by summons by central agencies and vowed to go ahead with protests in Delhi against the withholding of funds for West Bengal's MGNREGA and housing projects for the poor by the federal government.

Mr Banerjee alleged the Centre is trying to "crush" the movement of the poor people of West Bengal in Delhi by cancelling trains and "deploying ED and CBI".

"But it (the measures) will backfire," the TMC parliamentarian said in a virtual address to party workers before the start of a 1600-km journey to Delhi by a convoy of buses.

"It is clear that they (BJP) want to teach people of Bengal a lesson as they voted overwhelmingly in favour of TMC in the 2021 Assembly polls and in subsequent bypolls. If this is BJP's way of revenge, a bigger and nastier blow awaits them in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In every single poll after it BJP will learn it the hard way," he asserted.

The 'Dilli Chalo' call has been given to realise Rs 7,000 crore which the state government claims is due to it for the rural works guarantee scheme to over 20 lakh labourers of the state, and for release of Rs 8,200 crore towards the Awas Yojana across the state.

Thousands of MGNREGA job card holders have arrived in Kolkata from various parts of the state to travel to Delhi to demand their dues, Mr Banerjee said.

"We applied for the trains on September 23 to take them to Delhi. But we were denied the permission ... You (the Centre) have cancelled the trains but you cannot break people's movement with such tactics. You cannot scare TMC by making ED, CBI send summons to it. You cannot crush the movement by the people of Bengal for their rights," he reiterated.

The Eastern Railways contended that it received the request from IRCTC and unavailability of rakes was the reason for the denial of the special train.

Around 4,000 people were supposed to leave for Delhi on special trains on September 30 booked by the party, TMC leaders said.

Mr Banerjee was summoned by the ED on October 3 in connection with the ongoing investigation into the cash-for-school job scam.

He said at least 50 central teams have so far visited Bengal and the state has furnished every detail with regard to the implementation of MGNREGA and Awas Yojana, yet "not a single paisa has been released".

In Delhi TMC will hold a peaceful sit-in by its MPs and state ministers at Rajghat on October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and a peaceful rally of the MGNREGA job card holders the next day. Both the programmes will be live-streamed.

"The October 2 programme will be live-streamed in 3300 panchayats. The October 3 programme will also be live-streamed," he said.

Mr Banerjee, who is the nephew of TMC chief and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said that the party had sought an appointment from the Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh to discuss the MGNREGA issue but was informed that he will not not be in his office on October 3.

"We have told them that in such a case we want to meet his deputy. The office has not said anything about it," The TMC leader said.

The chief minister, who was earlier supposed to attend the programme, might not travel as she was advised 10 days' rest by doctors after an old injury on her left knee reared up during her recently-concluded visit to Spain and Dubai. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)