On the face of growing allegations of extortion and graft against the Trinamul Congress leaders from the Opposition parties and in a bid to keep a clean image, Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee today exhorted party activists and leaders to act as “sentry” (paharadar) of the party and hand over those found to be taking graft to the police.

Talking tough on Martyrs’ Day, Miss Banerjee said that the Trinamul Congress is a “disciplined” political party, where any sort of extortion or graft by the party leaders would be dealt with strictly. To make it more emphatic, she asked party activists to conduct themselves as sentry of the party and keep a watch on those indulging in extortion in the party’s name and sullying its image. Catch them and hand them over to the police, she told the crowd.

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She said that a few cases have come to her notice where the leaders have asked for funds on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day. She said she wants to see the district leaders visit door-to-door on cycle or on foot. “Be grounded,” she advised her party leaders.

“Desist from taking money from anybody in the name of the party. We run the party on funds derived from memberships. Trinamul Congress is a disciplined party,” she said.

She also asked party leaders to exercise utmost restraint while speaking to the press. Issuing a note of caution to the leaders, she said, “Don’t say anything whatever you think that can be detrimental to the party. Don’t try to think that you are above the party. Always bear in mind that the party is what matters, not individuals. Take those found to be deviating from the party discipline to the police and get them arrested.”

Besides issuing sermons to the party leaders on maintaining transparency, the Trinamul chairperson also came down heavily on a number of issues on the BJP-led ruling dispensation at the Centre.