Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today asked her party workers to organise programmes seeking funds from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that they have amassed as “black money”. She was speaking at the Martyrs’ Day programme in Kolkata’s Esplanade.
Banerjee’s announcement was a clever ploy to counter the demands for return of “cut money” that is being demanded from Trinamool Congress leaders who seem to have taken a share of funds from people for facilitating implementation of government programmes.
In fact, Banerjee herself had announced some weeks back – following the poor show in the Lok Sabha polls – that people were angry with a section of Trinamool Congress workers for taking “cut-money” and this must be returned to them. She had asked the government to lodge first information reports and encouraged people to report these. While it seemed to have largely worked in cleansing the image of the Trinamool Congress, there was also a negative impact.
BJP took to the streets – holding meetings and demonstrations – seeking return of cut-money and portraying the Trinamool Congress as a party of dishonest leaders.
On Sunday, at the Martyrs’ Day programme, Banerjee was largely speaking to boost the morale of her party workers, and gave them what was required to counter BJP’s allegations of dishonesty against the Trinamool Congress leadership.
Banerjee alleged that the BJP leaders had amassed black money from Centrally-funded projects like Ujala Yojana, and the people should ask them to return it. On July 29, the Trinamool Congress will take up a programme to seek return of black money from the BJP, and take it forward from there.
She said that one of her party workers had been offered Rs 2 crore and dealership of a petrol pump in order to join the BJP. She said that horsetrading was on in states where other parties were running governments.
“Satabdi Roy [Trinamool MP] was just telling me that she has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate. They are calling our people and asking them to contact some specific BJP leaders. If they contact the BJP and join them, nothing will happen, but if they do not join, then they will be arrested,” Banerjee said.
The Trinamool chief said that there was raid in the office of Supreme Court advocate Indira Jaising by the CBI for alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. But on the other hand, she said, that the BJP had legalised the system of their party receiving foreign funds.
Banerjee’s tirade was against the BJP for legalising corrupt practises for their own benefit, but they were portraying the Opposition as corrupt and trying to gain control in every state all over the country.
