TMC to skip Budget day in Parliament

Trinamool will also not attend the all-party meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday evening.

New Delhi, Jan 30: The Trinamool Congress will not attend Parliament on February 1 when the Budget is presented, citing Saraswati Puja on that day as the reason. The TMC is miffed over the arrest of its two MPs by CBI in connection with the chitfund scam.

Trinamool will also not attend the all-party meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday evening ahead of the Budget session of Parliament beginning on Tuesday.

"Trinamool will not attend Parliament on February 1 because of Saraswati Puja which is a big day in Bengal," party leader and MP Derek O'Brien told PTI.

He said that on Saraswati Puja day there is a custom of keeping away from work and not even touching the tools.

"Saraswati Puja is beyond a religious festival. It is a socio-cultural festival of Bengal," he added.

Budget will be presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday. About not attending the all-party meeting, he said this was because Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had called a meeting of party MPs for Tuesday '10 days back'.

Asked whether the party was 'boycotting' these proceedings or just skipping, he replied, "It is open for your interpretation".

Trinamool Congress has been angry over the arrest of its two MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Tapas Pal by CBI in connection with the Rose Valley Group chit fund scam.

PTI