The lok Sabha witnessed unruly scene on Tuesday as Trinamool Congress (TMC) and left party MPs hurled invectives at each other
over the sting operation by a news portal in which several TMC parliamentarians were caught on tape purportedly accepting bribes.
The party faced a similar situation in Kolkata as Opposition parties, including the left and BJP upped the ante against the ruling TMC demanding a CBI enquiry and resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The BJP also held a huge rally in Kolkata and many of its members courted arrest while staging a blockade.
In the lS, MPs of the two sides called each other “chor (thief)” as the Government advocated an enquiry into the issue to ensure that “truth prevails” in the alleged charges. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan later expunged the un-parliamentary exchanges between the MPs.
The alleged sting also figured in the Rajya Sabha with the CPI(M) members vociferously demanding a parliamentary probe. As they came into the aisles of the House raising a din, the TMC protested against them. BJP MP Chandan Mitra also raised the issue.
Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien refused to let CPI(M) members Tapan Sen and Ritabrata Banerjee raise the issue and said he could not allow a discussion based on allegations even as Sitaram Yechury insisted on it.
Meanwhile, addressing the media in Kolkata, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said the poll panel would examine the sting video.
“We have received representation (video) from political parties... we will get it examined. We will pass it on to relevant authorities,” said Zaidi.
In the lok Sabha, Mahajan allowed the issue to be raised after Question Hour with the BJP, Congress and left targeting the TMC, even as Mamata Banerjee’s party claimed that the charges were a political conspiracy ahead of the West Bengal polls. As agitated CPI(M) member Mohammed Salim raised the issue he was followed by BJP’s SS Ahluwalia and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress) who slammed the TMC and sought a probe.
Referring to the telecast of the sting purportedly showing several TMC leaders accepting money to help a fictitious private firm, they demanded action and recalled that Parliament had expelled 11 members facing similar charges in 2005-06.
Responding to the members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, “The prestige of Parliament is at stake. We have to establish the truth. Simply saying it is a conspiracy is not enough and will not satisfy the public. Either the Government can conduct an enquiry or the Speaker can order a probe.”
TMC members sat silently for most of the time as Salim, Ahluwalia and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury attacked them, but angry exchange of words took place when Saugata Roy, one of the MPs allegedly shown in the sting, put up his party’s defence.
As Salim and Saugata Roy (TMC) got into a heated exchange, Roy wondered under what rule Sumitra Mahajan allowed members to raise the issue. He said in anguish, “I had to live to see this day! It (sting) is part of political conspiracy before the West Bengal elections where CPI(M), Congress and BJP are destined to lose.”
“We are ashamed that we are sitting with such people. They should drown in shame. The dignity of Parliament has been compromised by their conduct,” Salim said, demanding that a committee be formed to probe the charges.
“It is an embarrassment for our Parliament and democratic system. Five MPs have been shown accepting wads of money. The matter must be referred to the ethics committee,” Ahluwalia.
“This is related to the dignity of the House. They have been caught. It must be probed,” Chowdhury said.
In Kolkata, Opposition parties bayed for the Chief Minister’s blood.
“This is an unprecedented situation and elections cannot be held like this. So we will demand President’s Rule and appeal for postponement of the elections” State Opposition leader Suryakanta Mishra said.
Participants at the BJP rally led by its observer in Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya broke barricades and staged a dharna at Raj Bhavan. Subsequently the police resorted to a lathi-charge and many of the protesters were arrested. The saffron outfit submitted a memorandum to Governor KN Tripathi.
Meanwhile, Mamata threatened to settle scores with those who “conspired against her” at an opportune moment and dared the Opposition to remove her from power “with all their nefarious designs to malign me” in the coming Bengal Assembly elections.
Though Mamata put a brave face, a section of her party MPs disapproved of the strategy of counter-attack as this would project the TMC as a facilitator of corruption.
Sources said Sugato Bose and Dinesh Trivedi expressed reservations in the parliamentary party meeting in Delhi wondering whether defending the corrupt would further soil the party’s image as it was already sullied by the chit fund scam.
Instead they proposed that the party should demand a probe into the incident and distance itself from any corrupt practices of its members.
Notwithstanding, Mamata instructed her MPs from North Bengal that they should take the Opposition by its horns. The TMC would stage a dharna against the “conspiracy” that led to the sting operation in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament.