New Delhi: Delegations of TMC MPs on Thursday visited the offices of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation demanding the arrest of businessman Gautam Adani.
The delegations comprised Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which over the last week has been demanding his arrest alleging that he is responsible for financial irregularities amounting to nearly Rs 1.20 lakh crore which belongs to the common people.
“PM @narendramodi’s (Narendra Modi) government cares more about Gautam Adani than having a transparent image! Our MPs handed over signed caps in protest to the Finance Ministry, ED, and CBI officials. @BJP4India’s tactic of disrupting the Parliament to avoid any discussion on this issue won’t work!” the party tweeted from its official handle.
“We will not succumb to the menace of corruption! We will resolutely persevere in our battle for justice and accountability!” it said.
TMC Lok Sabha members Pratima Mondal, Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahaman, Sunil Kumar Mondal and Aparupa Poddar, and Rajya Sabha members Dola Sen, Santanu Sen, Abir Ranjan Biswas, Mausam Noor, Sushmita Dev and Shanta Chhetri were part of the delegations that visited the offices of Sitharaman, the ED and the CBI.
TMC MPs who had visited the CBI’s officer alleged that they were not allowed to enter its premises and videographed without their approval.
“Barring our leaders’ entry into the CBI Office is a clear indication that the corrupt are running scared. We demand the arrest of Adani,” TMC MP Dola Sen said.
On its allegation against Adani, the TMC also sought an answer from the prime minister in Parliament as to why the businessman has not been arrested yet and where the funds in the State Bank of India and the Life Insurance Corporation are being invested.
Adani Group stocks had taken a beating on the bourses after Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, against the conglomerate. The Gautam Adani-led group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.
TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O’ Brien alleged that the Centre is depriving West Bengal by not clearing its MGNREGA dues.
Party chairperson and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will stage a dharna near the Ambedkar Statue on Kolkata’s Red Road on March 29 and 30 over the Centre’s attitude towards not just West Bengal but several other states, he said at a press conference here
He claimed that West Bengal has been deprived of Rs 7,500 crore only under the category of MGNREGA and less than three per cent of households employed under employment guarantee scheme have got 100 days of work.
The average number of work days for MGNREGA is only 42 days of work, he claimed.
“The actual expenditure of MGNREGA is 1 lakh crore. When it comes to the number of workers, West Bengal is number one among all other states. For the past two years now, the labourers of West Bengal are being deprived of their rights and the central government is responsible for the same,” the MP said.
“The last wage instalment of MGNREGA for Bengal was made in 2021 and over 3.7 crore workers have not been paid. MGNREGA is a right and not a charity. The central government should give us our due. They have even reduced the budget for MGNREGA from Rs 72,000 crore to around Rs 60,000 crore,” O’Brien said.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Neha Khan | 
