Gokhale's detention is reaction by panic-stricken BJP : Abhishek

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday described the detention of party spokesperson Saket Gokhale by Gujarat police as a reaction of a "panic stricken" BJP.

TMC will not bow down to such "acts of intimidation", he said. "Fearless, Gokhale stood against the ruling dispensation that trades lives for its own profit. In reaction, panic-stricken @BJP4India got our national spokesperson @SaketGokhale arrested by Gujarat police. It is their (BJP's) folly to think these acts of intimidation will make us (TMC) to bow down!" Abhishek tweeted.

A Magistrate Court in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Tuesday remanded the TMC spokesperson to police custody till December 8. Earlier party chief Mamata Banerjee backed Gokhale and said that she condemned the BJP government's "vindictive attitude".

"It's a very bad, and sad (incident). Saket (Gokhale) is a bright man. He is very popular on social media. He has made no mistake," Banerjee told reporters at Jaipur airport. "I condemn this vindictive attitude. He (Saket) has been arrested because he tweeted against the Prime Minister. People also tweet against me... We are really feeling sorry about the situation," she said before heading for Pushkar.

Senior Trinamool Congress leaders stated that as the BJP had failed to fight TMC politically, the saffron camp was resorting to such "vendetta politics".Reacting sharply, Dr Shashi Panja tweeted: "VENDETTA POLITICS- typical of the unscrupulous @BJP4India. When they could not SILENCE US, they chose devious tricks to FRIGHTEN US."

Bratya Basu said the BJP had unleashed a reign of terror across the country. "They are threatening the opposition parties and trying to stifle their voice."

Dr Kakoli Ghoshdastidar tweeted: "The arrest of our National Spokesperson @SaketGokhale for his tweet on Morbi bridge collapse in Jaipur by the Gujrat Police screams cowardice!"

She further wrote: "DEMOCRACY UNDER THREAT! Courtesy -@BJP4India. Our Spokesperson Saket Gokhale has been arrested from Jaipur by Gujarat police and is to be taken to Ahmedabad. What are you frightened of, BJP? #ShameOnBJP."

Meanwhile, TMC tweeted a video of TMC supremo's reaction to the incident. In the same thread, the party wrote: "@BJP4India has set the country on a vicious course of vendetta politics. Hon'ble CM @MamataOfficial has exposed how the arrest of Nat'l Spokesperson @SaketGokhale is part of BJP's vigorous crusade against all dissenting individuals. Are these the last vestiges of vox populi?"

Earlier in the day, TMC MP Derek O'Brien posted a series of tweets citing details of the incident. In the tweets, he had claimed that Saket had taken a Monday night flight from New Delhi to Jaipur. According to O'Brien's tweets, Saket was 'picked up' from there by Gujarat Police.