Kolkata, July 30 -- Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee on Thursday staged a protest outside the Parliament in New Delhi, wearing a large placard displaying photographs of 20 NCPI MPs and branding them as "traitors".
The controversial poster targeted the rebel Lok Sabha MPs of the TMC who quit the party and joined the NCPI, which is backing the NDA. The placard carried photographs of several prominent leaders, including Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Rachana Banerjee, Dev (Deepak Adhikari), Sayani Ghosh, Abu Taher Khan and others.
Expressing his anger, Banerjee said he had filed a petition under the anti-defection law against the rebel MPs five weeks ago, but no action had been taken. "Everything is possible under BJP rule," he remarked. He added: "These traitors have used Mamata Banerjee and her symbol. They are nothing without TMC's support." The MP was also seen interacting with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, with their conversation touching upon Rajiv Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee's exit from the Congress and several chapters of West Bengal's political history.
The protest came after the rebel MPs attended the NDA parliamentary party's "Mangal Milan" meeting in Parliament in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders. Also on Wednesday evening, several NCPI MPs, including Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, Shatabdi Roy, June Malia, Rachana Banerjee, Sharmila Sarkar, Mitali Bag and Bapi Haldar met BJP leader J.P. Nadda at his residence.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.