Pushed to wall, Mamata takes over the reins of TMC

Asks leaders to prepare a list of those in opposition who have been associated with Ponzi scheme companies

Pushed to the wall by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Saradha scam, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday took over the reins of the party organisation and asked its leaders to prepare a list of those in the opposition who have been associated with Ponzi scheme companies.

Banerjee also stood by state Transport and Sports Minister Madan Mitra, who is in jail in connection with the scam.

"Madan and Mukul (Mukul Roy, TMC general secretary) have done no wrong. As they are deeply involved in the party organisation, a dirty political conspiracy is being hatched to put them behind the bars in order to weaken the party," a leader quoted Banerjee as saying in the closed door party meeting.

"From now on, Mamatadi herself will look after the organisation. She said due to immense pressure of running the government, she couldn't look after the organisation but from now on she will look after it. She will look into strengthening the party further," he said on condition of anonymity after emerging from the meeting.

Incidentally Mukul Roy, considered as one of the most important TMC leaders after Banerjee, was absent in today's core committee meeting. Since the day the party came to power in 2011, he has been looking after the TMC organisation.

Banerjee said TMC will not yield "an inch of its political turf to opposition parties", specially BJP, who she accused of using central agencies to corner her party in Bengal.

"Our party supremo has asked us to prepare a list of opposition leaders involved in any chit fund company. The message is clear, those opposition leaders who are campaigning against us are themselves neck deep in corruption. We just need to pull off their masks," the TMC leader said.

Banerjee, during the meeting, accused the Centre of trying to tarnish the party's reputation by using central agencies against it and asked TMC leaders to reach out to the masses and conduct movements against its anti-people policies.

In the meeting, it was also decided that TMC will hold another core committee meeting on January 31 to discuss the party's strategy for the upcoming Kolkata civic polls and municipal polls in 81 municipalities of the state.

TMC will also conduct Panchayati Raj Sammelan on February 11-12 and a labour conference on February 13, party sources said.