'You just walked out the moment I mentioned...': Nirmala Sitharaman vs Derek on Twitter

Nirmala Sitharaman asked Derek O'Brien to take some time out to watch the Sansad Television to find the answers to his questions as the finance minister said the Trinamool MPs walked out the moment Sitharaman mentioned the pre-GST VAT on Paneer in West Bengal.

Updated on: Aug 3, 2022, 05:49:33 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Poulomi Ghosh

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Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien on Tuesday got engaged in a Twitter fight after the Trinamool MPs staged a walkout of the Rajya Sabha during Sitharaman's reply to the price rise debate. While Sitharaman said Derek O'Brien and other Trinamool MPs walked out the moment she mentioned 'West Bengal' and that paneer had VAT there ever before GST, Derek tweeted it is typical that the finance minister evaded the questions raised by the Trinamool in the Rajya Sabha and is now 'looking for a Twitter spat'.

Nirmala Sitharaman took to Twitter and replied to Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien's charges.

On Monday, Sitharaman replied to the debate on the Lok Sabha and the opposition shreded her reply as 'denial' of price rice.

"We had raised 6 specific issues. She evaded all. No response in Parliament. maybe I will get luckier on Twitter," Derek O Brien tweeted. In reply, Nirmala Sitharaman advised Derek to watch Sansad Television. "You just walked out @derekobrienmp the moment I said in W. Bengal, pre-GST, paneer had a VAT on it. Even in your absence, I kept answering each of the points you wanted replies on--on cesses, LPG, GST, and particularly on the rupee. Please take some time out to watch @sansad_tv," Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted.

In the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Nirmala Sitharaman said the performance of money against the US dollar is better than other major global currencies. "If you compare the Indian rupee versus other currencies, it is appreciating in its manner," Sitharaman said.

"I want the House to take into cognizance Indian rupee's performance versus others, whether it is the UK pound and so on; and, therefore, it is contextualised Indian rupee's performance versus the US, particularly, because of the various steps which are being taken by the US Fed," Sitharaman said.

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