TMC MP Saket Gokhale's remarks against Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha draw protests from BJP

New Delhi: TMC member Saket Gokhale's "objectionable" remarks against Home Minister Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday drew strong protests from the treasury benches and prompted Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to warn Gokhale and drop the words from the records.

During a discussion on the working of the Home Ministry, Gokhale took a swipe at Shah saying the minister appeared to be afraid even before he had asked questions.

The Union Home Minister hit back at the Trinamool Congress MP saying there was no question of being scared as he has been elected by the people seven times and was not in the House due to anyone's mercy.

After Gokhale, while initiating the discussion, cast aspersions on the Home Minister's conduct as well as against the BJP, Leader of the House J P Nadda, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and some BJP members demanded that he withdraw his statements, but he refused to do so.

Nadda said that the remarks were unparliamentary and derogatory and the Chair should delete the same from the records if Gokhale refuses to take them back.

Rijiju also said the comments were not in good taste and did not set a good tone for the discussion.

The Chairman said that Gokhale should not have used such language against the senior minister and the remarks would be deleted from the records as they were "personal".

Dhankhar also said he has reserved till Thursday his ruling on the issue of members making personal remarks against colleagues.

Initiating the discussion, Gokhale said that the home minister appeared to be "scared" even before he had asked questions and alleged that over 6,900 corruption cases have been registered by the CBI on which no convictions have taken place.

Countering it, Amit Shah said that Gokhale was giving wrong information as the cases were not corruption-related but were linked to the post-election violence that took place in West Bengal. He alleged that BJP supporters were targeted and the TMC government refused to take action against the perpetrators.

The victims approached the High Court and the Supreme Court, after which the cases were registered on their orders, he said.

"There are no convictions as not a single special CBI court has been set up in West Bengal," he said, adding how can one expect convictions in such a scenario.

Attacking Gokhale, he said that he was not intimidated by anyone as he had won elections seven times and had not entered the House due to any favour.

"I have not entered here by opposing an ideology. There is no question of being afraid," Shah said referring to Gokhale, a former journalist and an RTI activist.

The TMC member said that his party has given an opportunity to initiate the discussion to an MP who was jailed for six months by the Modi government.

"Today we are discussing the Union Home Ministry in the Council of states. It's a very big deal because law and order is a state subject. It is not meant to be controlled by the Union Government," Gokhale said.

The role of the home ministry is confined to internal security, control of the country's borders and disaster management, he added.

"The ministry is not to interfere with the law and order machinery of the state but sadly in the last eleven years the ministry has erased the distinction between the government of India and Republic of India," he said.

India is a union of states -- all of which constitute the republic, he noted.

"However the Home Ministry today feels that the Union Government is the sole representative of the republic and states do not mean anything," Gokhale said.

He alleged that anyone who opposes the government is treated as an enemy of the nation.

Gokhale said that the Union government has enhanced the jurisdiction of the BSF to 50 km in opposition-ruled states like West Bengal and Punjab while it has been curtailed in BJP-ruled Gujarat.

He noted that the West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed the Aparajita Bill but it is stuck as the President is yet to accord its approval.

Gokhale said nothing has changed in the working of the central agencies in the last eleven years.

"Under the previous governments the Supreme Court has said that they are a caged parrot, etc but BJP claims to be a party with a difference, so we thought things would change. Nothing has changed in the 11 years," he said.

Shah said that the CBI and other agencies the TMC leader was referring to do not come under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

"If you want to widen the scope of discussion then allow me as well to reply in that fashion. I will reply to every charge," he said addressing the Chair.