“PM means ‘photo mantri’.” 

Referring to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo replacing Mahatma Gandhi’s in the Khadi calendar this year, MP, Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress Party said in Parliament that : “PM means ‘photo mantri’.”

He went on to say that photo opportunities are not a solution to any problem. The demonetisation had adversely affected tea gardens and the leather industry among others. Crores of people had lost their jobs and it had resulted in reverse migration.

“Auto sales are down to a 16-year low and MSME growth has declined. A 40 per cent drop is in the FMCG sector,” he said.

Twitter trolls invited to PM’s residence-O’Brien

Derek O’Brien also raised the subject of Twitter trolls and their alleged connection to the ruling BJP. He said some of them were invited to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s house for a “nice social digital party.”

On Digital India, Mr. O’Brien said it should rightly be called ‘divisive India’ as there were about 26 Twitter handles spreading hatred and two such handles had been suspended by Twitter. “Twenty six Twitter handles that give out rape threats, communal threats are followed by the Prime Minister of India. Two of these handles have been suspended by Twitter. Now this is not Trinamool or Congress or CPM or DMK, this is an international company called Twitter.”

Textiles minister, Smriti Irani strongly protested Derek o’ Brien’s statements in Parliament.