NRC debacle: TMC to hold meets across state today

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress will organise meetings all over the state on Saturday except Kolkata, to protest against the omission of 40 lakh people from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) by the Centre, party's secretary general Partha Chatterjee said on Friday.

The protest meetings will be held on the day when BJP national president Amit Shah will address a rally in Kolkata. Asked why no meeting in

Kolkata will be held, Chatterjee cited political courtesy as the reason.

Chatterjee said common people will also attend the meetings along with party leaders. Party workers will wear black badges. It may be mentioned that Trinamool had observed 'black day' on August 4 and 5, after the party's MPs and MLAs were not allowed to meet the helpless people in Assam. The eight member delegation was stopped at the Silchar Airport after prohibitory order under section 144 CrPC was promulgated.

Chatterjee said on August 12, a meeting will be held in the city in which the party's MPs, MLAs and councillors will take part. The venue of the meeting is yet to be decided. There may be two meetings instead of one, he maintained.

Trinamool Congress has protested against the publication of a list omitting the names of genuine citizens on the floor of the Parliament and state Assembly. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during her recent trip to Delhi, had met the Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the issue.

Meanwhile, BJP has protested against the putting up of posters and flags by Trinamool Congress around the venue where the meeting will be held on Saturday.