New Delhi: A five-member Trinamool Congress parliamentary delegation will visit the Election Commission of India on Monday, December 12, to raise the alleged violation of the Representation of the People Act in connection with party spokesperson Saket Gokhale’s arrest.
The party said the delegation will comprise Lok Sabha lawmakers Saugata Roy and Kalyan Banerjee, and Rajya Sabha members Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Mausam Noor and Derek O’Brien.
Earlier, the TMC had sent a memorandum to the Election Commission, urging it to order an immediate probe into the action initiated by the Gujarat Police against Gokhale and to put an end to all the alleged physical and mental harassment being inflicted upon him.
The TMC has alleged that Gokhale was charged under section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 which relates to promoting enmity between classes in connection with an election.
Gokhale was arrested over a December 1 tweet on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Morbi after the bridge collapse which killed over 135 people.
He tweeted a news clipping about information purportedly obtained through the Right to Information claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Morbi after the bridge collapse cost Rs 30 crore.
“Of this, Rs 5.5 cr was purely for “welcome, event management, & photography,” Gokhale had tweeted.
The Press Information Bureau issued a ‘fact check’ calling the information fake.
Gokhale was arrested by the Gujarat Police from Jaipur in Rajasthan on December 6 without any intimation to the Rajasthan Police, the TMC alleged.
He was taken to Ahmedabad, where he was granted bail by a court on December 8, only to be rearrested hours later.
He was later given bail in the second case on December 9. Gokhale appears to have now deleted the tweet.
(With PTI inputs)