Trinamool Congress‘ national general secretary and nephew of Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee has said that the party will suspend its protest over the issue of withholding the state funds under Central schemes until 31st October after West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose promised the delegation that he will take up the matter with the centre when he goes to New Delhi. Abhishek Banerjee has also said that if they do not receive any response by then, the TMC will intensify its protests against the centre.
We wanted to continue the dharna but since the Governor has showed us courtesy we should return the courtesy,” Abhishek Banerjee said. “The Governor has assured us that he won’t take two weeks but will take this up with the Centre in 24 hours. I have heard he has already left for Delhi. I have thanked him. I expect he will find a solution to this since he has already gone to Delhi. Senior leaders have asked me to lift the dharna and I have spoken to our leader as well,” he added.
“We are lifting the dharna now. We are giving the Centre time till October 31. If there is no answer from the government, we will start a protest again on November 1. And our protest will continue till the funds are released,” he further said.
The protest which is a follow-up of the one which took place in New Delhi over the same issue was scheduled to take place outside the Raj Bhavan but was suspended after the Trinamool delegation met the Governor.
Abhishek Banerjee has been instrumental in leading the protest in the national capital with the TMC leaders at his side. He then led the dharna at the Raj Bhavan and was also instrumental in leading the delegation to meet the Governor that evening. The active participation of Abhishek Banerjee and the acts of him leading the protests and dharnas in the absence of WB CM Mamata Banerjee, who is recovering from a foot injury shows him cementing his position in the party as a future leader of the party.
