TMC MPs protest outside PMO, detained

(Photo: Getty)


A group of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained here on Thursday as they took out a protest march against the arrest of TMC leader and parliamentarian, Sudip Bandyopadhyay.

Shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the around 50 TMC MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including Saugata Roy and Derek O'Brien managed to reach South Block, which houses the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

As the angry protesters tried to enter the high-security PMO, they were detained by Delhi Police.

TMC has a total strength of 45 MPs in both the houses and almost all of them turned up for the protest.

"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 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 against political rivals who were criticising demonetisation.

With inputs from agencies