'BJP taking political vendetta to another level': TMC says party leader Saket Gokhale arrested by Gujarat Police

TMC national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said that Saket Gokhale has been arrested in a "cooked up case" over his tweet on the Morbi bridge collapse.

New Delhi: Terming it a "political vendetta" taken to "another level" by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday (December 6, 2022) alleged that the Gujarat Police has arrested its spokesperson Saket Gokhale. In a series of tweets, TMC national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said that his party colleague has been arrested in a "cooked up case" over his tweet on the Morbi bridge collapse. 

Detailing the circumstances under which the arrest was made, O'Brien said that Saket took a flight at 9 pm from New Delhi to Jaipur on Monday and when he landed, the Gujarat Police was at the airport in Rajasthan waiting for him and picked him up.

"At 2 am on Tuesday, Gokhale called his mother and told her that the police were taking him to Ahmedabad and he would reach that city by noon.

"The police let him make that two-minute phone call and then confiscated his phone and all his belongings,"  O'Brien claimed.

"The cooked up case is filed with the Ahmedabad cyber cell about Saket's tweet on the Morbi bridge collapse. All this cannot silence the All India Trinamool Congress and the Opposition. BJP taking political vendetta to another level," he alleged.

TMC national spokesperson @SaketGokhale arrested by Gujarat Police.

Saket took a 9pm flight from New Delhi to Jaipur on Mon. When he landed, Gujarat Police was at the airport in Rajasthan waiting for him and picked him up. 1/3

— Derek O'Brien |  (@derekobrienmp) December 6, 2022

The cooked up case is filed with the Ahmedabad cyber cell about Saket’s tweet on the Morbi bridge collapse.
All this cannot silence @AITCofficial and the Opposition. BJP taking political vendetta to another level. 3/3

— Derek O'Brien |  (@derekobrienmp) December 6, 2022

However, Jaipur airport police station SHO Digpal Singh told news agency PTI that he had no such information.

"I have no information. Nobody informed us," he said.

The Mamata Banerjee's party did not specify which tweet, but recently, the Narendra Modi-led government's fact-check unit had called Gokhale's tweet saying "RTI revealed the PM's visit to Morbi cost Rs 30 crore" a fake claim. 

"Quoting an RTI, it is being claimed in a tweet that PM’s visit to Morbi cost ₹30 cr. This claim is fake. No such RTI response has been given," the Press Information Bureau said on December 1.

Quoting an RTI, It is being claimed in a tweet that PM’s visit to Morbi cost ₹30 cr.#PIBFactCheck

This claim is #Fake.

 No such RTI response has been given. pic.twitter.com/CEVgvWgGTv

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) December 1, 2022

A bridge collapse in Gujarat's Morbi on October 30 had claimed over 130 lives. PM Narendra Modi, who was in his home state to campaign for BJP in Gujarat's Assembly election when the tragedy struck, had then visited the site of the bridge collapse and taken a stock of the ground situation.

The Prime Minister had also met those who were hospitalised after suffering injuries.

Went to Morbi, which witnessed the horrific bridge mishap. Met the bereaved families and extended condolences. I visited the site of the tragedy and went to the hospital where the injured are recovering. Also met those involved in rescue ops and chaired a review meeting. pic.twitter.com/hAZnJFIHh8

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 1, 2022

(With agency inputs)