'TMC to have vigilance system to weed out rotten elements'

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that a proper vigilance system at the party-level would be put in place to weed out rotten elements. She further alleged a tacit understanding between the BJP and CPI(M), in spite of their ideologies being poles apart by saying that 'Ram and Bam (BJP and Left) have become one.'

"The party should be vigilant so that we have an idea whether any Panchayat is involved in any corruption. The funds go directly to the Gram Sabha and we are completely in the dark. So, we need to have a report card on the functioning of the Panchayats, which should be cross-checked before arriving at a conclusion about which of the rural bodies are doing well and which are not,"Banerjee said, while addressing a convention of party workers and leaders at Nazrul Manch on Monday. She reiterated that a cross-verification will ensure that the report card is not biased or influenced by anybody.

Urging her party cadres to reach out to the people to counter 'canards' spread against the TMC by opposition parties, Banerjee said: "If an insect affects paddy, it spreads to the entire field. So, we should kill that particular insect right at the beginning to stop its proliferation." She added that if we find such ' 'insect'' he /she should be warned and asked to rectify. "We have to remember that no individual leader is above the party or the common people. We all have our commitment to the people and we have to strictly adhere to those,"Banerjee said.

Recently, Pradip Sarkar has resigned from the Chairman post in Kharagpur Municipality. A number of Panchayat level leaders of Kanthi in East Midnapore and in Nadia district had also resigned after being instructed by party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. She cautioned her party leaders not to be overcome by greed and ensure that his or her image before the public is not tarnished by any means.

Hitting out at the BJP, Banerjee asserted that TMC is a party with inclusive ideology. "We need to take along everyone. The BJP's ideology differentiates between people on religious lines. You have to listen to people with humility,"she added. Banerjee outlined her commitment to her party's ideology. "Our ideology is very clear, federal structure must be strengthened," she said.

She told Indranil Sen to constitute a cultural family.

Taking the cue from chairperson Mamata Banerjee, party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee reminded party workers to remain cool and composed while interacting with the common people.

"You need to have immense patience and be polite and subdued," he added.