TMC MPs protest outside PMO, rounded up

New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) today took its protest against arrest of its leader in Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, to the Prime Minister’s Office as its MPs and slogan-shouting supporters managed to sneak into the high- security zone and reach right in front of the PMO.

Its MPs from Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha, including Saugata Roy and Derek O’Brien, and a few party supporters managed to reach South Block, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office.

They shouted anti-Modi slogans before the Delhi Police rounded them up and took them away. TMC has a total strength of 45 MPs in both Houses and almost all of them turned up to protest.

The MPs went right up to the entrance of South Block, but were stopped at the first check point.

“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,” Roy said before being whisked away.

The protesters managed to slip through despite police barricades on the road leading to South Block and heavy checking of vehicles.

South Block has Rashtrapati Bhawan on one side and houses ministries of defence and external affairs on the other. The protestors gathered just when a pre-Budget meeting of financial regulators at the finance ministry opposite South Block got over.

Bandyopadhyay was arrested by CBI in Kolkata on Tuesday in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam, prompting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to allege that Modi was using central agencies like CBI, ED and I-T department against his political rivals who are raising voice against demonetisation.

Since then, TMC has been holding protests in Kolkata as well as the national capital. Yesterday, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra walked out of the meeting called by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to hold pre-Budget consultations with states.