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It was her movement against land acquisition in Singur that catapulted Mamata Banerjee to power in 2011. And as Trinamool Congress (TMC) will be seeking re-election in 2016, Mamata Banerje once again has decided to go on a warpath, this time against the Narendra Modi government’s land acquisition Bill.
The TMC has been taking a strident stand against the Bill in Parliament. With civic body polls round the corner in the state, Banerjee will lead a protest march on April 8 to protest here.
This was seen as an effort by the TMC to shift the focus back on land Bill, while her rivals continue to target the TMC leadership for its alleged involvement in the Saradha scam.
While the Left Front has been alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the TMC were having a clandestine understanding, as the latter has helped the BJP government pass mining and coal Bills in the Rajya Sabha, Saradha was back to haunt the TMC. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials on Thursday contacted the party to find out the whereabouts of TMC General Secretary Subrata Bakshi.
"We announced a protest-programme against the land Bill on April 8. Shortly after that, the CBI called up our office," TMC Secretary General Partha Chatterjee said.
The CBI had sent a notice to former general secretary of TMC Mukul Roy, seeking details on who had bought Mamata Banerjee’s paintings, details of the donations to the party and how much worth of advertisements had been carried in the party’s mouthpiece “Jago Bangla” between 2010 and 2014.
Roy reportedly replied that he does not have access to the details sought, as he was removed from the post. Following this, CBI sent a notice to Bakshi, which is yet to be answered.
"They wanted his phone number and it was given. We have nothing to hide. We are a transparent political party. We receive hundreds of letters everyday and we give reply. If we receive any letter from the CBI, we will give a reply to it,” Chatterjee said.
“The party leadership has also asked district leaders to organise anti-land Bill rallies in every block on the same day,” he added.
The Union Cabinet has discussed re-promulgating the land acquisition ordinance.
