File photo: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee (PTI)
New Delhi:
Lawmakers of the Trinamool Congress or TMC will not attend the all-party meeting on Sunday convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu, ahead of the beginning of the crucial Winter Session of Parliament on Monday.
"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," TMC spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien tweeted.
"Government has pro-MNC agenda. We have pro-people line. Blackmoney, poll reform, communalism, political vendetta, 100-day hoax. Will raise all", said Mr O'Brien.
Mr O'Brien later told NDTV, "The BJP is either trying to show the nation they are working very hard and that they work on a Sunday. Or they are disorganised and there is no planning. So we are not going to these meetings. We are not at the beck and call of the BJP."
The BJP responded by bringing up the multi-crore Saradha scam which has led to the arrest of two Trinamool lawmakers; other leaders from the party have also been questioned in connection with the chit fund scam.
"Given the fact that the Saradha scam is now touching the highest echelons of Trinamool Congress leadership, people can see through what is born out of political compulsion and what is born out of conviction," BJP leader Nalin Kohli told NDTV.
The all-party meet comes the day after a meeting called by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Saturday.
Ms Mahajan later said that all political parties had assured her of their cooperation about the smooth functioning of Parliament in the Winter Session.
The meeting was attended by representatives of 18 political parties, including Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr Naidu, Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan, among others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also joined the meeting, but representatives from the Left, Samjawadi Party, Shiv Sena and Trinamool Congress were not present at the meeting.
"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," TMC spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien tweeted.
"Government has pro-MNC agenda. We have pro-people line. Blackmoney, poll reform, communalism, political vendetta, 100-day hoax. Will raise all", said Mr O'Brien.
Mr O'Brien later told NDTV, "The BJP is either trying to show the nation they are working very hard and that they work on a Sunday. Or they are disorganised and there is no planning. So we are not going to these meetings. We are not at the beck and call of the BJP."
The BJP responded by bringing up the multi-crore Saradha scam which has led to the arrest of two Trinamool lawmakers; other leaders from the party have also been questioned in connection with the chit fund scam.
"Given the fact that the Saradha scam is now touching the highest echelons of Trinamool Congress leadership, people can see through what is born out of political compulsion and what is born out of conviction," BJP leader Nalin Kohli told NDTV.
The all-party meet comes the day after a meeting called by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Saturday.
Ms Mahajan later said that all political parties had assured her of their cooperation about the smooth functioning of Parliament in the Winter Session.
The meeting was attended by representatives of 18 political parties, including Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr Naidu, Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan, among others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also joined the meeting, but representatives from the Left, Samjawadi Party, Shiv Sena and Trinamool Congress were not present at the meeting.
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