TMC lawmakers voted for Meira to register their protest:Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said all TMC lawmakers voted for the joint opposition candidate, Meira Kumar, in the presidential election to register their protest against "what is going on in the country".
She claimed that Kumar would get the maximum number of votes from West Bengal as all TMC MPs and MLAs voted for her.
"Our protest is against what is going on in the name of gauraksha, atrocities on people, riots, interference into federal structure, the political vendetta to divide the nation and the ploy to suppress the voice of the common man," she told reporters after casting her vote.

The Trinamool Congress chief said the voice of eminent personalities like Amartya Sen was also being suppressed, in an apparent reference to the controversy surrounding the Nobel laureate's documentary.
She thanked all opposition parties for coming together to support Kumar "despite knowing that she would lose only to register their protest".
Calling on all political parties to unite for a fight against the BJP, Banerjee said, "There are a few political parties who are still supporting the BJP because they are scared of it. But they must not forget that the BJP will not spare them."

"So all parties must come together and unite because this is the best time to do so. And we consolidated our unity to form a coalition by casting our votes in the presidential election."

Hitting out at the NDA government at the Centre over demonetisation and GST, Banerjee said, "The country is going backwards everyday."
On the party's stand in the monsoon session of Parliament starting tomorrow, she said, "TMC will be aggressive. We will speak for the people ... Speak on issues like Darjeeling, Kashmir, Amarnath killings, on interference into the federal structure and what is going on in the country in the name of gauraksha.