Mamata clears air on Trinamool's stand over cut money row

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday clarified her party's stand on the cut money issue and reiterated that her statement in this regard is aimed at disciplining her party workers.

"What is wrong if I try to discipline my party workers? Whatever I had to say, I had said in an internal meeting of party leaders. What is wrong if I ask my party workers to ensure that there is no misuse of government schemes? I believe in simple living and high thinking and I have directed my party to follow the same," Banerjee said in the state Assembly, while speaking on the Governor's speech.

She justified the statements of Parliamentary Affairs minister Partha Chatterjee that only 0.1 percent of TMC workers are corrupt while others are honest. "In every section of the society, 0.1 percent people are corrupt and we need to rectify this," she asserted.

There have been protests and demonstrations in parts of the state for the past one week, over the issue of cut money and the Opposition, particularly the Congress and CPI(M), have demanded the statement of Banerjee on the issue. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Abdul Mannan had demanded white paper and an enquiry commission to conduct a probe on the matter.

Banerjee said that she has already formed a monitoring cell at Nabanna on the issue and has received 5,931 applications in this regard, of which 60 percent matters have been solved. "We are a party of the masses and no one has the right to malign our party without any evidence," she asserted.

In turn, the TMC supremo questioned the silence of CPI(M) and Congress over the black money issue or the use of exorbitant money by BJP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls in the state. She also urged people to inform her administration about complaints relating to cut money instead of taking law in their own hands.

Meanwhile, Banerjee held BJP responsible for the post-poll violence at Bhatpara, ever since Arjun Singh crossed over from TMC to the saffron party and won the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat, under which Bhatpara falls.

"The people of the state are witnessing in Bhatpara what happens if you vote for the BJP. Bhatpara has seen total disruption of normal life. Schools are closed, shops have remained closed and they are trying to divide people over religious sentiments. They are trying to spread fake news and trying to instigate riots. I have directed the police administration, who will take stern action against them," Banerjee said.

"BJP is speaking about encounters in the state. Why didn't police take any action against the speakers? The police should have filed a suo moto case and have gone for direct arrest," she added.

A Trinamool Congress legislative party delegation will visit the trouble-hit Bhatpara in North 24-Parganas on June 28, to review the law and order situation in the area.

"The state government is trying to restore peace and communal harmony in the area. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already given a call for restoring peace. We are now sending our representatives there. The delegation will reach Bhatpara at 2 pm and inform us about the situation, following which we would submit a report to Banerjee," Partha Chatterjee said.

The delegation will comprise eight party MLAs, namely Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Jyotipriya Mullick, Nirmal Ghosh, Partha Bhowmik, Sujit Basu, Purnendu Bose and Bratya Basu.