BJP, TMC lawmakers in verbal clash in Lok Sabha

BJP and Trinamool Congress lawmakers had a verbal clash in Lok Sabha on Tuesday after Dilip Ghosh, a saffron party MP, alleged a conspiracy by the West Bengal government in violent attack and criminal cases against his party members.

Ghosh said BJP MPs, including Union minister Babul Supriyo, Arjun Singh and himself, were attacked during the recent Lok Sabha polls.

Over 150 BJP workers have been injured and many others have been framed in narcotics cases, he alleged, accusing the state police of conspiracy at the government's behest.

MPs of TMC, which is in power in the state, were on their feet, shouting at Ghosh as he carried on with his speech targeting the TMC dispensation. BJP MPs were seen raising their voices in support of Ghosh.

Among other issues, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh rued lack of truck scanner, which can detect contraband, on the Indian side to check goods vehicle coming from Pakistani side.

A project in this regard was inaugurated in April 2013 but it has not been finished, he said and referred to the recent seizure of 600 kg of heroin detected in a goods truck coming from Pakistan side.

Singh said customs officials did not even interrogate the accused and urged Home Minister Amit Shah, who was present in the House, to look into the matter.

Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference spoke about tight security measures put in place for the Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir. Though security should be there but it should not be so tight that it affects the livelihood of the local population, he said.