Mass protest: Abhishek to prepare ground for ‘Delhi chalo’ programme once back from the US

Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, who is scheduled to return by the end of this month from the United States where he is undergoing eye treatment, will start setting the ground for the mass protest in Delhi demanding due funds from Centre while he is also likely to move court against the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Abhishek is presently in the US where he is undergoing treatment at the John Hopkins Hospital. He had sought prior permission from the court for his travel while the Supreme Court had directed the ED to withdraw the Look-out Circular (LOC) issued against Abhishek and his wife Rujira Banerjee in the money laundering case linked to the alleged coal scam.

Recently, Abhishek took to his social media handle and launched a scathing attack against the ED, alleging that there are inept and incompetent individuals within the ranks of the central probe agency who are disseminating “concocted tales” to the media.

He also said that due to the failure of the Central agency in presenting substantial evidence before the court, their conviction rate is merely 0.5 per cent.

Sources said that Abhishek may move court against ED once he returns.

Further, once he returns, Abhishek is likely to begin preparations for launching the mass protest in Delhi on October 02.

On July 21, on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day, Abhishek had announced from the dais that for the past two years, “the anti-poor BJP government at the Centre has stopped the funds for the 100 days of work scheme amounting to Rs 7,500-8,000 crore”. He said that since people had assured him during the Jana Sanyog Yatra that they were ready to join him in the protest, he sought permission from the chief minister Mamata Banerjee to give the ‘Delhi Chalo’ call on Gandhi Jayanti.

Talking about what convinced the ruling party of taking the protests to the streets of Delhi, he said: “We had three options – appeal and ask them (Centre) to release funds belonging to the people of Bengal; beg them for people’s money; or go to Delhi and force the Centre to give us our rightful due.”