Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 21 : Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee and rebel Trinamool Congress MLA on Tuesday said his faction has submitted all required documents to the Election Commission and expressed hope that it will be granted recognition. Further, he asserted that the party's organisational structure and elected representatives are with them.
Speaking about the Enforcement Directorate's freeze of the party's accounts and his faction's claim over the funds, Ritabrata Banerjee said the annual interest generated from the accounts alone exceeds Rs 1,000 crore and questioned who should benefit from it.
"We do not have the arrogance to claim we are 'compensating' the martyrs. Our point regarding the ED freezing the accounts is that the annual interest alone exceeds a thousand crore rupees, so who is that interest meant for? Is it for the aunt and nephew to pocket, or should it reach the workers at the grassroots level?," he said.
"We have submitted all our documents to the Election Commission and will provide anything else required. We are hopeful that the Election Commission will grant us recognition," the Bengal Assembly LoP said.
He further asserted that his faction has the support of the party's organisational structure and elected representatives and said that it would ensure transparency in the use of party funds if granted access to the accounts.
On the organisational structure of the party and the National Working Committee formed under the leadership of Arup Roy, Banerjee said his faction would publicly disclose expenditure details every three months if it gains the right to operate the party's accounts.
"The entire organisational structure and the elected representatives are with us. As for the NWC already formed under Arup Roy's leadership, if we gain the right to operate the party's accounts, we will place the details of all expenditures in the public domain every three months. Furthermore, the very first decision we will take is to ensure the party provides Rs 10,000 monthly to the families of the July 21st martyrs."
The remarks come amid the ongoing dispute over the status of the rebel TMC faction and its claim for recognition.
On Sunday, Opposition parties staged a symbolic walkout from the all-party meeting convened by the Centre ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, protesting the invitation extended to the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
The Opposition alleged that the invitation was against parliamentary norms, claiming that the merger of the rebel TMC MPs with the NCPI had not been approved by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The Opposition leaders later rejoined the meeting, describing the walkout as a mark of protest.
The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on Monday, with the Lok Sabha Speaker approving separate seating arrangements for 20 MPs who broke away from the TMC. However, the merger of the rebel TMC MPs with the NCPI has not yet been approved by the Speaker.