As a counter-offensive measure to what it calls a "BJP's political vendetta" in getting party MP Srinjoy Bose arrested by the CBI in connection with the Saradha scam, the Trinamool Congress has decided to "strongly raise the black money issue in the Winter Session of Parliament."
Party all-India spokesperson Derek O'Brien on Sunday said that the Trinamool would raise the black money issue both in lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. "We are giving notice on the black money issue and would seek a debate on this," the TMC leader said accusing the BJP of bamboozling the people on the issue of corruption.
Informing that the Trinamool had a "list of 5-6 issues that the party will raise", the Trinamool MP said, "Before the elections they lied to the people saying black money worth lakhs of crores of would be brought back from foreign banks. But now after coming to power they have fallen silent on the issue. We want a discussion on that. It is not enough to point fingers at others without looking at your own self."
His party would also oppose the FDI Bill in Parliament, the Trinamool MP said. Picking up from where his party chief Mamata Banerjee had left on Saturday, O'Brien said, "Earlier the BJP spent crores on elections but now they are not spending in rupees but in dollars. They spent crores of dollars in Maharashtra and are now doing the same in Jharkhand and other places. They have to explain as to from where this money is coming from." The Trinamool was in consultation with other like-minded parties and would take them along, he said.
Besides raising the issues, the Trinamool MPs would also hold a demonstration at Parliament. The TMC had already refused to attend the all-party meeting called by the ruling party in Delhi.
While the party would attack the BJP in Delhi, back in Kolkata the Chief Minister would lead rally protesting against the "Centre's vindictive politics by using the CBI to arrest our MPs."
Meanwhile, both the BJP and the left on Sunday hit back at the Trinamool Congress saying the Bengal ruling outfit had not only stoked the chit-fund business in the State looting lakhs of people but it allowed the terror groups to use its lands for anti-national activities.
Attacking the TMC for playing narrow vote-bank politics, BJP MP Yogi Adityanath said the Trinamool had turned the State into a terror hub "because they want to appease a particular section of voters."
"Bengal has become the most insecure State of the country, thanks to protection given by the Government to the terror organisations like Huji, lashkar and Jamat," he said.
Attacking the Chief Minister for accusing the BJP of the October 2 Khagragarh blast, State BJP president Rahul Sinha asked, "Why the State police tried to mislead the investigation process by claiming that it was a cylinder explosion and not a bomb blast and why it took the NIA to discover the reality 15 days later before breaking the whole network."
He added, "It is the Trinamool that has allowed JMB, IM and SIMI to use the lands of Bengal and hatch conspiracy to assassinate the politicians of other countries."
On Banerjee's claim that the CBI had arrested the Trinamool MPs as she had attended Nehru's centenary function, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said, "Had it been so then we would also have been arrested. Even we joined the programme."