Abhishek Banerjee dares Centre as TMC gets ready for 2-day Delhi showdown

Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee reached Delhi on Sunday ahead of the party’s planned protest against denial of MGNREGA and housing scheme funds to Bengal government in the national capital.

Forty-nine busloads of TMC supporters are slated to reach Delhi on Monday.

The TMC will hold a peaceful sit-in by its MPs and state ministers at Rajghat on October 2, and a peaceful rally of the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme) job card holders the next day, party officials said. Both the programmes will be live-streamed.

The buses were mobilised by the regional party after the Indian Railways refused to rent out special trains to take the workers to Delhi pleading unavailability of rakes.

The TMC claimed the denial of trains as well as cancellations of a flight to Delhi were part of an attempt by the ruling BJP party to scuttle its demonstration.

Speaking to reporters at the NSCBI Airport here before flying to New Delhi, Banerjee said, "The agitation will continue till the rightful dues of the people of Bengal are released by the Centre".