TMC MPs Walk Out of RS to Protest Govt’s ‘Political Vendetta’

Derek O’Brien said the Centre was sending its investigating agencies after the opposition leaders to “scare” them.

(Photo Courtesy RSTV)

Trinamool Congress members on Thursday staged a walkout at the Rajya Sabha, charging the government with "political vendetta" for their opposition to demonetisation by arresting their Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay.

The charge of political vendetta was squarely rejected by the government.

Senior TMC leader Derek O'Brien, while raising the issue during Zero Hour, said since the party has been opposing the decision to scrap old Rs 500/1,000 currency notes, the Centre was sending its investigating agencies after the opposition leaders to "scare" them.

He said TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the first to flag the problems due to demonetisation, which came into effect on 8 November 2016.

He said the party, on 24 November, had strongly opposed such acts in pursuance of political vendetta by the government against the opposition.

"And exactly what we had feared has happened... Lok Sabha leader of TMC was called (by the CBI) and arrested on 3 January," O'Brien said.

He expressed apprehension that the same could happen with members of other 15-16 opposition political parties.

Why this political vendetta is happening...The more you (government) do political vendetta, the more it will firm our resolve to fight you on demonetisation

Derek O’Brien

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said as the government is indulged in "witch-hunting", the party would stage a walkout and the members left the House thereafter.

In an apparent reference to the arrest of Bandyopadhyay and another TMC Lok Sabha MP Tapas Pal, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the government was following a policy of "zero tolerance" on the issue of corruption, .

He said the Centre has nothing to do with the arrest.

“Law will take its course against whoever is responsible for corruption... chit fund (scam). Where is the vendetta,” Naqvi said, countering the arguments of TMC members.

Bandopadhyay and Pal were arrested by the CBI in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam.