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TMC won't play second fiddle to Congress, says Abhishek Banerjee

Banerjee said that one cannot be in a 'grey' zone on the protest and one has to take a definite decision
Last Updated 07 December 2021, 15:54 IST

Trinamool Congress will coordinate with other Opposition parties in Parliament in demanding revocation of suspension of 12 MPs but "will not play second fiddle" to the Congress.

This was the message General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee gave to MPs at a meeting of the Trinamool Parliamentary Party here on Tuesday. He told the MPs that the protest against the suspension should not be seen just as two Trinamool MPs' problem but that of the entire Opposition.

Before the meeting, he also spent time with the protesting MPs at Gandhi Statue in Parliament.

Also Read | Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day amid Opposition ruckus

Banerjee said that one cannot be in a "grey" zone on the protest and one has to take a definite decision. "You cannot be in grey. You have to be either black or white," sources quoted him as saying.

Instructing them to intensify the ongoing protest in Parliament, he said, "when it is abnormal outside (the House), you cannot expect normalcy inside (the House). We cannot have exceptions in Rajya Sabha that we will participate in one Bill or one particular discussion. We have to remain strong till we reach the goal of revocation of suspension."

Sources said the message from Banerjee was that there is no "ekla chalo" (walk alone) but Trinamool was "not going to play second fiddle" to Congress.

In the meeting, sources said, it was decided to seek time from Union Home Minister Amit Shah for a party delegation to submit a memorandum demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. It will also seek compensation for the families of civilians killed by security forces in Nagaland as well as ask the government to come clean with its position on the controversial law.

It was also decided that Lok Sabha MPs would meet in the party's office in Parliament just before the proceedings start to "discuss, share ideas, coordinate and prepare for the day".

Two MPs Nusrat Jahan and Mimi Chakrabarty, who skipped the meeting, will be issued show-cause notice seeking an explanation for their absence, sources said.

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(Published 07 December 2021, 15:54 IST)

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