The Trinamul Congress will focus on "people's issues" in the ongoing winter session of Parliament and it does not want the proceedings to be disrupted over "one issue", deputy leader of the party in Lok Sabha Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said Wednesday.
While the Congress is vociferously raising the issue of industrialist Gautam Adani being charged in an alleged bribery and fraud case in the US, the Trinamul Congress said it will be focusing on issues like deprivation of central funds to West Bengal and the situation in Manipur.
"TMC will sharply focus on 'people's issues' to raise in Parliament," Dastidar said. The remarks come as the Adani issue was raised in both Houses for the second day, and both Houses were adjourned without transacting much business.
"TMC wants Parliament to run. We don't want one issue to disrupt Parliament. We must hold this government accountable for its multiple failures," Dastidar told reporters.
The party, which is a part of opposition's INDIA bloc at the national level but not in electoral alliance with any of the parties, said it continues to be a part of the bloc but its outlook is different. "We will take on the BJP but our outlook on how to take on the BJP can be strategically different..." Dastidar said.
"TMC does not have an electoral alliance with any party, but we win," she said. She also said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be attending the swearing in of Hemant Soren as Jharkhand chief minister.
In a meeting of the working committee of the Trinamool Congress on Monday, the issues to be taken up in the winter session of Parliament were discussed.
While MGNREGA and other central funds being stopped for the state remains the key issue that the party is looking at raising, issues like price rise, unemployment, and fertiliser shortage are also in the list.
The situation in the Northeast, and the continuing violence in Manipur are also on the list, as is the delay in clearance for the Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill.
A party source said the issues were decided in the meeting of the TMC's working committee on Monday, as it was felt that these issues are important for people.
The TMC had skipped an INDIA bloc meeting on Monday where the alliance's leaders took a decision to demand a joint parliamentary committee into issues surrounding the Adani Group, as well as the opposition meeting held on Wednesday called to discuss issues to be raised in the ongoing session.
The party will also be raising the pending Aparajita bill, which has been referred to President Droupadi Murmu by Governor CV Ananda Bose.
TMC leaders have also sought time from the president to meet her to discuss the bill, which provides that seeks capital punishment for rape convicts if their actions result in the victim's death or leave her in a vegetative state, and life sentence without parole for other perpetrators.
The West Bengal assembly had unanimously passed the bill on September 3.
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