Kolkata: Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee will hold a virtual meeting with her party MPs on Monday giving instructions on how to intensify protests in Parliament against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and also against the attack on Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states.
Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is also expected to attend the meeting, sources said. Party supremo Banerjee is expected to finalise the overall floor strategy for the ongoing Monsoon Session in the Parliament. According to sources within Trinamool Congress, the virtual meeting will start at 4.30 pm on Monday and will continue for about an hour. She will also give directions to the party MPs on how to use the floor of the House to condemn the repeated incidents of harassment on the Bengali-speaking migrant workers in other states.
Trinamool Congress has been particularly vocal about the SIR exercise, both inside and outside of the Parliament since the Monsoon Session began on July 21. Banerjee during the meeting may also raise the issue where Delhi police dubbed Bengali as “Bangladeshi” language. The ruling party in Bengal may take up a major movement against the issue as well. Trinamool Congress has been opposing the implementation of SIR process as it feels it could be a ‘conspiracy’ to exclude names of Opposition voters from the voter lists. The party supremo may advise both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs on how to “sharpen” their protests against these issues. Banerjee has already launched a language movement against the BJP-led Centre after allegations of atrocities on Bengali migrant workers came to light in several BJP-ruled states.
Monday’s meeting may also discuss the incident that took place in the Rajya Sabha last Friday. Several MPs from the Trinamool Congress, AAP and DMK were allegedly escorted out of the Rajya Sabha by the marshal.Following Baner jee’s instruction, Trinamool Congress MPs are going to ‘gherao’ the ECI office in Delhi on August 8.
As per a party insider, the Trinamool Congress top brass wants to use this session of the Parliament to build public opinion against the Centre.