New Delhi [India], October 4 (ANI): In response to a post shared by MoS Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti that said she waited for over 2 hours to meet Trinamool MPs at her office but the delegation did not show up, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday said that Sadhvi Jyoti was lying and the latter made Trinamool MPs “wait for 3 hrs and then ran away through back door” to avoid meeting the delegation who had come from West Bengal to discuss MGNREGA funds issue.
Taking to her X handle, Mahua Moitra wrote, “Sorry @SadhviNiranjan you are lying and so (and I am being polite). You gave our delegation an appointment. You vetted all names, checked each one off before allowing us to enter, made us wait for 3 hours & then ran away via the back door “.
However, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti termed Trinamool leaders’ act of not showing up for the meeting as a “shameful incident”.
“Today 02:30 hours was wasted. Today I left the office at 08:30 while waiting for the Trinamool MPs. According to my information, the delegation of Trinamool MPs and Bengal ministers had made an appointment in the office at 06:00. But later he wanted to meet Trinamool workers by calling them public, which was against the office system. He backed away from the scheduled topics of the meeting because his intention was not to meet, his intention was to do politics. This is a very shameful incident done by Trinamool leaders,” wrote Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti on X.
This development comes as the TMC delegation headed by party MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday went on to meet Rural Development Minister Sadhvi Jyoti. The TMC leaders staged protest at Rajghat on Monday demanding the release of MGNREGA funds.
On Tuesday, Abhishek Banerjee alleged that Members of Parliament including women were manhandled by Delhi Police at Krishi Bhawan as they were protesting over the release of MGNREGA funds. He also went on to call it a “black day for Indian democracy” and called for a campaign ‘Raj Bhavan Abhiyan’ in Kolkata on October 5 against the atrocities.
“The public will give an answer in the coming times and those who think that TMC will be stopped by these forces, are wrong. We will become stronger. Even the British did not behave with us like Modi Ji and the Delhi Police have done today,” he said.
Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O’Brien and other lawmakers including Mahua Moitra were detained by the Delhi Police after they staged a dharna inside Krishi Bhawan. The leaders were released by the police on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, nearly three hours after being detained.
TMC leader Banerjee claimed, that Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti did not meet them even after giving them an appointment.
“We were scheduled to meet Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti at 6 pm today, we waited for 90 minutes, after which we were informed that she would not be able to meet us. Sadhvi Niranjan met Suvendu Adhikari today at 4 pm but we were made to wait here. If she doesn’t want to meet us, then it’s okay, but we will not go anywhere from here, we will remain sitting here,” Banerjee said.
“40 people walked from Jantar Mantar to Krishi Bhawan. The Minister did not meet us even after hours. AITC MPs Mahua Moitra and Derek O’Brien took the initiative to have a meeting with the Minister. But we were told that the Minister would only meet the leaders and not the victims but he left from the back door. Those who were fighting for the people of Bengal were made to wait for 3 hours, ” Banerjee said.
“We were sitting there peacefully but suddenly the security personnel manhandled all of us including women. The way we were dragged and humiliated today marks a tainted day in Indian democracy. Photographs don’t lie. The way our MPs were harassed is out in the open. Tribal leader Birbaha Hansda was dragged. Dola Sen was dragged. Elected MP Mahua Moitra was chained and taken away. Indigenous leader Pratima Mondal was also dragged away,” Abhishek Banerjee added.
The TMC general secretary further announced that ‘Raj Bhavan Abhiyan’ will be carried out to hand over 50 lakh letters to the Governor.
“We will carry out a campaign ‘Raj Bhavan Abhiyan’ against manhandling done by Police, on October 5 at 3 pm with 1 lakh people at Raj Bhavan. We will also meet the Governor and hand him the 50 lakh letters,” Abhishek Banerjee said. (ANI)
