For the second straight day, Trinamool Congress MPs on Thursday hit the capital’s streets and reached close to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the high security zone, protesting against “vindictive politics” of the Modi government in the wake of arrest of their fellow party lawmaker Sudip Bandyopadhyay by the CBI in a scam case.
The party also announced a three-day protest programme from January 9 while asserting that it will continue to raise its voice against the Central government.
While marching towards the PMO, Trinamool MPs from the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha, including Saugata Roy and Derek O’Brien, and a few party supporters managed to reach close to their destination.
Shouting anti-Modi slogans, they managed to breach two rings of security barricades on the Raisina Hills towards South Block.
Trinamool Congress has 45 MPs collectively in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
About 30 Trinamool MPs including Mr. Roy, Mr. O’Brien, Ms. Arpita Ghosh, and Mr. Idris Ali were taken into custody. They were released after a three-hour detention at the Mandir Marg police station.
“We were prevented from reaching PMO and we are bundled into a bus near South Block. In the process two of our lady MPs were manhandled,” said Mr. Roy.
‘Political vendetta’
“We are protesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation and political vendetta against the Trinamool Congress. So, the protest will go on. Wherever we get opportunity, we will protest,” Mr. Roy said before being whisked away.
Mr. Bandyopadhyay was arrested by the CBI in Kolkata on Tuesday in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam, prompting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to allege that Mr. Modi was using Central agencies like CBI, ED and I-T department against his political rivals who are raising their voice against demonetisation.
“Our protest against the Modi government’s vindictive politics will continue and we will be here on January 9, 10 and 11 to do the needful,” the TMC said in a statement later.
Our special correspondent adds:
BJP team meets Rajnath
A delegation of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Thursday to apprise him of the attacks on the party offices in West Bengal allegedly by workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya and Siddharth Nath Singh led the delegation. BJP MP Babul Supriyo was also part of the delegation. His parents’ house in Kolkata was also attacked.
“We apprised the Home Minister of the situation in West Bengal and told him that BJP leaders were receiving threats from Trinamool workers,” said Mr. Vijayvargiya.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of misusing agencies like the CBI and the ED to harass its workers after Lok Sabha member Sudip Bandhopadhyay was arrested in the Rose Valley chit fund scam case.
The Home Ministry had earlier spoken to the Kolkata Police Commissioner following reports that Trinamool workers had attacked the BJP’s youth wing office in Kolkata.
