TMC's indefinite sit-in in Kolkata persists, delegation to meet Governor in Darjeeling

Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday said a delegation of the party will meet Governor CV Ananda Bose in Darjeeling on Saturday in response to his call, but asserted that the indefinite sit-in outside the Governor's House here will continue till the Raj Bhavan occupant meets the protesters.

Raj Bhavan sources said Bose has agreed to meet the delegation in Darjeeling’s Gubernatorial Mansion at 5.30pm on Saturday after receiving a mail from TMC leader Derek O’Brien.

The governor’s decision to meet the delegation comes in the wake of the TMC sit-in led by Banerjee demanding release of West Bengal's MGNREGA dues by the Centre and demanding an audience with Bose.

"With reference to your mail of October 6, I am directed to inform you that the Governor would be pleased to meet you and other members of the delegation at 05.30 pm at Raj Bhavan, Darjeeling, on October 7. You are requested to kindly send a list of the delegation along with their names who would be meeting the governor," said a letter sent by the governor’s deputy secretary.

Earlier in the day, Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien had sent the mail to the governor requesting a meeting with him.

"Kindly let us know the date and time convenient for His Excellency to meet the delegation. We would appreciate if we are given one day's notice, as the distance between Kolkata and Darjeeling is around 700 km. Please factor in the travel time," the MP said.

According to O’Brien, the 15-member delegation will include five members of deprived families, five MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and five ministers from the West Bengal government.

Meanwhile Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary, who is on the second day of his indefinite sit-in outside Raj Bhavan, said the era of evading difficult questions is over, as people are now demanding their rightful dues in West Bengal's MGNREGA funds, which are allegedly being withheld by the Centre.

The opposition BJP expressed concern that the sit-in is jeopardising the governor's security as it is being held within 150 metres of the Raj Bhavan.

Bose, who recently visited flood-affected areas in North Bengal, had left for Delhi on Thursday evening.

"I will continue this sit-in until Durga Puja unless I get a satisfactory reply from the Governor and he doesn't come down to meet us. Why, for two long years, has the BJP-led central government withheld the rightful payments of 20 lakh wage labourers who toiled under the 100 days' work scheme? Under what section of what law is that justified? He and his bosses in New Delhi have to answer this," he said.

"The Governor may stay in Darjeeling for two days, weeks, or months. I will not leave this site till he meets us here and agrees to accept the 50 lakh letters from Bengal," the Trinamool national general secretary said.

Banerjee, initiated the sit-in on Thursday, remained at the protest site through the intervening night between Thursday and Friday, along with hundreds of party workers, and held meetings with them.

Since Friday morning, thousands of party workers arrived at the protest spot from various parts of the state and expressed their solidarity.

Several top TMC leaders joined in and demanded that the Centre immediately release the dues of the state.

Responding to comments by Raj Bhavan officials who had taken exception to TMC's 'zamindari' (feudal style) jibe, the party said in a statement, "It is good that the governor is taking his duties seriously and is visiting flood-affected areas. But we have a few questions. Where was this concern when nine innocent lives were lost in a blast at Egra in Purba Medinipur district because they had to take up a hazardous job since the 100-day work programme was stopped there due to lack of funding?" "Expressing concern when convenient is not catering to 'Maa, Mati, Manush' (the TMC slogan which means mother, land, and the people). It is always to stand tall against all those who try to disrupt, destroy, or deprive the people and the state," it said.

The party also criticised Bose for not coming to Kolkata to meet the deprived beneficiaries of MGNREGA scheme. "If the Governor can take three flights to and from Delhi, why can’t he come to Kolkata and meet these deprived beneficiaries?," it said. Reacting to TMC's protest, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said, "The security of the governor is being jeopardised for cheap political drama." Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the Bengal Assembly, blamed the ruling party for trying to dismantle the Constitution in the state.

"The TMC has set its evil eyes on constitutional authority. Section 144 is in force till 150 metres from the Raj Bhavan boundary. It has not only violated this in connivance with police by taking its march within the periphery of the area where the prohibitory order is imposed, but has now camped at the site," he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had staged a two-day sit-in protest in March against the Centre's alleged withholding of funds for MGNREGS and other welfare schemes.