West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government after eight Trinamool Congress (TMC) Members of Parliament were physically lifted and detained by Delhi Police on Friday. The MPs were staging a dharna outside the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Protest Over ED Raids Turns Into Police Action
The incident unfolded after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at the Kolkata office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC). In response, TMC MPs Derek O'Brien, Mahua Moitra, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad, and Sharmila Sarkar gathered to protest near Amit Shah's home. They held placards that read, "Bengal rejects Modi-Shah's dirty politics."
Soon after, personnel from the Delhi Police arrived at the scene. Despite the MPs refusing to move from their protest site, the police officers proceeded to drag them away. The lawmakers were then bundled into a police van and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station.
Graphic Scenes of Resistance and Arrest
Visuals from the protest site showed dramatic scenes of resistance. Senior MP Derek O'Brien was seen bending down with his placard before sitting on the road in an attempt to resist the police action. He was subsequently lifted by multiple officers and carried away. While being taken, O'Brien shouted to journalists present, "You can see what is happening to MPs here."
Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra, while also being lifted and placed into the police van, made strong statements. "We'll defeat BJP. The country is seeing how Delhi Police is treating an elected MP," she said. Moitra further alleged misuse of central agencies, stating, "Yesterday, the country and Bengal witnessed how ED was misused by the home ministry. ED was sent to steal our party's political, strategic information." She praised CM Mamata Banerjee as a "lioness" who protected the party's properties.
Mamata Banerjee's Furious Retort on Social Media
The manhandling of her party's MPs prompted an immediate and fierce reaction from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Taking to social media platform X, she condemned the "shameful and unacceptable treatment" meted out to the elected representatives.
"Respect is mutual. You respect us, we respect you. You drag us on the road, and we will drag you back to the constitutional idea of tolerance, dissent and democratic morality," Banerjee posted. She emphasized, "This is our India. We are citizens by right, not at the mercy of a chair, a badge, or a position of power. No govt, no party, and no home minister gets to decide who deserves dignity in a democracy."
In a subsequent post, the Chief Minister accused the police action of being "arrogance in uniform." She wrote, "Dragging elected representatives on the streets for exercising their democratic right to protest outside the home minister's office is not law enforcement; it is arrogance in uniform. This is a democracy, not BJP's private property."
Banerjee also highlighted a perceived double standard. "Democracy does not function on the convenience or comfort of those in power. When BJP netas protest, they expect red carpets and special privileges. When opposition MPs raise their voices, they are dragged, detained and humiliated," she stated. The TMC supremo concluded that this "double standard exposes BJP's idea of democracy: Obedience, not dissent."
The event has escalated political tensions, with the opposition accusing the ruling party of stifling democratic protest and using police force against elected lawmakers.
