Intolerance, communal harmony top TMC's Parl agenda

Issues of intolerance, communal harmony and strengthening of federal structure top the Trinamool Congress' agenda in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, the party leadership said today, adding that it was against any disruption in the House.
"The strategy of our party is yet to be decided. It will be decided after discussions with our party chief Mamata Banerjee. But yes, we want the Parliament to function properly. We don't want any disruption of the house," TMC Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay told PTI.
"If Parliament functions smoothly, we will be able to raise the burning issues of the country such as price rise, intolerance, threat to secularism and others. We can make the government answerable for these issues," he said.

Bandopadhyay's comments come ahead of the all party meeting expected to be convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan before the winter session.
The monsoon session of Parliament had been a complete washout over Vyapam scam and Lalitgate.
On being asked about the issues that will top TMC's agenda in the coming Parliament session, Bandopadhyay said "The issue of intolerance and threat to communal harmony will top our agenda.

"Never before has India gone through such an intolerant atmosphere. We want to raise this issue of intolerance in the Parliament. We have always spoken in favour of strengthening communal harmony of our country. In the present situation the communal harmony too is under threat," he said.

Bandopadhyay also lashed out at the Centre for interfering in the federal structure of the country.
"We have always spoken in favour of strengthening the federal structure and for more powers to the states. But under the present regime at the centre, the Prime Minister is calling up chief secretaries of the state bypassing the chief ministers.
"Is this the way you protect the federal structure, which is the basis of our country? We all need to strengthen the federal structure," he added.