Kolkata: Trinamul Congress MP and national spokesperson Derek O’Brien on Saturday said the mother of the thief shouted the loudest in a sharp reaction to BJP president Amit Shah’s “offensive” remarks against chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

“In dangabazon ne desh to loot liya hai. Aap ko koi bhashan shobha nahin deta hai. Jaise hum Bangla mein bolte hain — chor ki maan ki awaaz oonchi. Chor machaye shor (These rioters have looted the country. Lectures don’t suit you. Like we say in Bengal — a thief’s mother shouts loudest. Thieves make noise),” he tweeted, without naming Mr Shah. However, TMC sources said the party leadership had taken strong exception to Mr Shah’s “tasteless” remarks about their party supremo.

“People who have money to hoard are most worried by the demonetisation. You have seen how Mamata Banerjee’s face has lost its sheen. In one night, she has grown 10 years older,” Mr Shah had said while speaking at a meeting  in  UP.

Meanwhile, Ms  Banerjee continued her attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and saw “ulterior motive” in the new tax exemption granted to political parties. Slamming the Centre’s flip-flops on demonetisation, she questioned the Centre’s latest decision.

“Even the timing of these statements show that there may be an ulterior motive. Is there a motive? Are they trying to give a hidden message to the cadre of one political party?”

Ms Banerjee wrote on Twitter after revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia announced that political parties depositing old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in their accounts were exempted from income tax. She made it clear that the Centre needed to clarify that the demonetisation meant it was “demonetisation for all”, which meant the “same rules should apply for everyone”.

“If Rs 500/Rs 1000 notes are illegal tender, then how are they trying to show that there is a division between common people and political parties,” she posted on Twitter.

She added the Centre must clarify why these confusing and misleading statements now? “They must clarify.”