Mamata Slams Centre for 'Arrogance in Uniform' as TMC MPs Detained Outside Amit Shah's Office

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has condemned the centre for its handling of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs who were detained outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office while protesting against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on I-PAC chief Pratik Jain's Kolkata home. The TMC MPs, including Mahua Moitra and Derek O'Brien, were dragged away by police while staging a protest against the alleged misuse of probe agencies by the Centre. Banerjee described the treatment as 'arrogance in uniform', stating that elected representatives should not be subjected to such treatment for exercising their democratic right to protest. Mamata Banerjee called out the BJP's 'double standards', saying that when the party leads protests, it expects special treatment, while opposition MPs are detained and humiliated for the same. She emphasized that democracy functions on the principles of tolerance, dissent, and democratic morality, not on the convenience of those in power. The TMC supremo stated that citizens are entitled to respect, not by the mercy of the chair or a position of power, but by their fundamental rights as citizens. She warned that the government, party, or Home Minister cannot decide who deserves dignity in a democracy. The incident occurred a day after the ED conducted raids at the office of the political consultancy I-PAC and the residence of its chief. The TMC MPs were detained and taken to Parliament Street Police Station, with eight MPs, including O'Brien, Moitra, and Satabdi Roy, taking part in the protest. The centre has imposed prohibitory orders and security concerns around the Home Ministry's office, citing reasons for not permitting protests. However, the TMC MPs argue that the move is an attempt to suppress their democratic right to protest and express dissent.