Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed him to take more active role in national politics, Abhishek Banerjee chaired two meetings of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs in Delhi on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Discussions during the meetings focused on what would be the TMC’s agenda and strategies for the ongoing Winter Session. According to sources, the TMC’s role in the INDIA bloc and its stance on the Adani issue were not discussed.
A TMC leader informed THE WEEK that most of the decisions that were taken during the party’s national working committee meeting earlier this week were conveyed to the party’s parliamentarians by Mr. Banerjee. He has been tasked by Mamata Banerjee, his aunt and the Trinamool supremo, to define what should be the party’s approach to national issues.
“Our main agenda during the Winter Session would be to raise the issue of step-motherly treatment of West Bengal by the BJP government,” Bardhaman-Durgapur MP Kirti Azad, who attended the meetings, told THE WEEK, referring to the Centre’s withholding of MGNREGA and PM-Awas Yojana funds meant for the state.
“We are a party from West Bengal. So, our focus will of course be on the issues that are bothering our state,” the World Cup-winning cricketer said. On being asked if the TMC would ask for support of other opposition parties, Mr. Azad said, “Other states are also suffering from the issues that we plan to raise in the Winter Session. So, parties from there should support us.”
Banerjee engaged with each MP individually during the meeting, discussing the issues affecting their constituencies. He also instructed them to uphold the party's discipline and refrain from any actions or statements that contradict the party's official position.
During the Trinamool’s national working committee meeting earlier this week, Mamata Banerjee had clearly outlined that the party MPs should focus on the blockade of central funds, as well as issues related to inflation, GST, fertiliser shortage, and the situation in Manipur.
