'TMC MPs abstaining to send message to Centre'

Trinamool Congress members of Parliament (MPs) have decided to abstain from Parliament to protest "growing attacks" by Marxist cadres on the opposition in West Bengal and to press for central intervention, a senior party MP said today.

Stating that party chief Mamata Banerjee met Union Home and Finance Ministers and complained about "state-sponsored terrorism" in West Bengal, party Chief Whip in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandhopadhay told PTI here "we took a decision that our MPs will abstain from Parliament."

“We want to send a message to the Central government that it should act on state-sponsored terrorism in West Bengal. The Left Front government does not have the moral right to continue,” he said.

“We had taken up issue of deteriorating law and order in West Bengal at the top level, including the Prime Minister and Home Minister who had himself said some time back that many districts in Bengal have become killing fields.”

He alleged that sensing that they might go out of power in West Bengal, the CPI(M) had taken refuge "in the politics of violence".

Asked how long they intended to stay away from Parliament, Bandhopadhay said the parliamentary party would meet in New Delhi on April 18 to chalk out the future course of action.

The Trinamool Congress has 19 Lok Sabha members and two Rajya Sabha MPs.

Bandhopadhay said two Trinamool Congress workers had been killed at Sashan in North 24 Parganas district. A car with Union ministers Mukul Roy and Sultan Ahmed was attacked allegedly by CPI(M) cadres on Wednesday, he alleged.