Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will stage a sit-in-dharna in front of Raj Bhavan till Governor Ananda Bose gives the party’s delegation an appointment and listens to their grievances. This was announced by Mr Banerjee late this evening. The hide-and-seek game between Governor CV Ananda Bose and the Trinamul Congress continued on Thursday when the former asked the Trinamul leaders to see him in north Bengal and the latter organised a march to Raj Bhavan demanding release of funds for job card holders under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme.
The Governor, who was in Kerala, went directly to North Bengal to take stock the flood-like situation on Thursday. He asked the Trinamul Congress leaders to see him in the Circuit House in Siliguri or in the relief camps. He again left for Delhi from Siliguri without coming to Kolkata. Mr Banerjee said: “It is really funny that when we went to Delhi in April, Giriraj Singh, Union minister for rural development was not available. Again on 3 October, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti refused to meet us and left the office from the back door and now the Governor left for Delhi from Siliguri without coming to Kolkata.
They are all avoiding us when the Enforcement Directorate has sent notices to my parents, my wife and myself though we do not have the slightest intention to evade them.” Mr Banerjee reiterated that he would ask the Governor two simple questions. They are whether 20 lakh people had worked under the MGNREGA in Bengal and if yes, under which law the Centre is withholding their dues. “This question is simple but the BJP it seems does not have any answer,” he remarked. Derek O’ Brian, Rajya Sabha MP, had sought an appointment with the Governor as soon as he comes to the city. Mr O’Brian later said the Governor’s response asking them to meet him in north Bengal was ridiculous.