Cut money duel heats up LS
Don't turn LS into Bengal Vidhan Sabha, says speaker Om Birla.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and TMC members engaged in a war of words on Wednesday over BJP leader from West Bengal Locket Chatterjee’s comment on “cut money”.
The TMC members demanded removing references to chief minister from Ms Chatterjee’s speech while the BJP further rubbed in by accusing TMC of corruption in the state.
Targeting West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee government over the alleged bribery in the form of “cut money”, Ms Chatterjee had on Tuesday said during the Zero Hour: “Cut money is taken by Trinamul leaders from birth to death. The chief minister has accepted that their leaders take it and therefore, asked them to return it. She hadsaid to her party leaders to keep 25 per cent and give 75 per cent to her. Ministers from top to bottom are involved.”
On Wednesday, Trinamul leader Sudip Bandopadhyay demanded that Locket Chatterjee’s remarks should be remov-ed from the records leading to a strong protestfrom the treasury benches.
A fierce back-and-forth between the TMC and the BJP continued for several minutes forcing Speaker Om Birla to comment: “Don’t make this house the Bengal assembly.”
“Sir, yesterday in Zero Hour, an honourable member, Shrimati Locket Chatterjee, mentioned about cut money which is a type of bribery. It is said that it will be 25 per cent with the party workers and 75 per cent of cut money is kept with the chief minister. Sir, if any such wild allegation is raised in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly against the Prime Minister and if it is not expunged, it will not look good. The CM of West Bengal is not present in the House. Our chief minister is one of the honest and best Chief Ministers of the country. Sir, law and order situation also cannot be discussed on the floor of the House. If it is allowed, then Uttar Pradesh and Bihar situation should also be discussed on the floor of the House. So, I believe that it should be expunged from the proceedings of the House and it should not be kept in the proceedings of the House,” Mr Bandopadhyay said.