The Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday targetted each other in Parliament, leading to clashes and walkouts. The TMC displayed in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha the copies of some red diary, allegedly recovered from Sahara group chief Subrata Roy, and claimed that it contained the name of a BJP leader.
In the Lok Sabha, Trinamool Congress members rushed to the Well shouting slogans. They demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should explain what action Central Bureau of Investigation has taken after the name allegedly figured in the diary.
They later staged a walkout of the proceedings. Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC) had given a notice for suspension of question hour to discuss the issue which was rejected by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Bandhopadhyay told mediapersons that the BJP chief's name was mentioned in a 'red diary' allegedly recovered by the CBI during searches at Sahara's office in November.
"We want to know why they are being secretive about the names.... Why is the CBI not revealing the names? We will not let it go. We want a discussion on the issue," he said.
"On November 22, 2014, in a raid at CBI office, a red diary was recovered. In that red diary, I have information that national president of BJP Amit Shah's name is present along with one MrNM. Whose names are these? The CBI is not revealing this... action has not been taken. "I hope the government will clarify the issue," he said.
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju rejected the charges, saying these were false speculations and ‘political in nature’.
"These all are false speculations," the minister said outside Parliament House. He said that political parties have the right to conduct rallies and meetings in any part of the country, a reference to attempts to stall Shah's rally at Kolkata on Sunday.
"These are all political statements. A political party has the right to conduct rallies, meetings anywhere in the country. And if somebody is making a political issue out of it, it is political in nature," he added.
Later, BJP member Kirit Somaiya hit back, alleging that the West Bengal government of Trinamool Congress was creating ‘hurdles’ in the CBI investigation into the Saradha chit fund scam, in which names of ‘one dozen’ Trinamool leaders have cropped up.
This led to protests by Trinamool members but Somaiya went on saying that 3.5 lakh small investors had been cheated in the chit fund scheme. "The state government is not cooperating with the CBI probe," he alleged.
Amid the noisy scenes, the Speaker adjourned the House for lunch, ahead of schedule. In the Rajya Sabha, Derek O'Brien (TMC) sought to raise the issue during zero hour and question hour but was disallowed. He had earlier given a notice for suspension of question hour but was not allowed.
As O'Brien rose to raise the issue during question hour, BJP members shouted him down by raising the issue of Saradha chit fund scam. Trinamool members later staged a walkout as they were disallowed from raising the issue.
Image: Trinamool Congress MPs during a protest at the winter session of Parliament in New Delhi. Photograph: Subhav Shukla/PTI Photo
