'BJP used CBI for vindictive politics after defeat in polls'
KOLKATA: Leaders of various political parties, including Trinamool Congress (TMC), slammed the BJP-led Centre after two state ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra and former Mayor Sovan Chatterjee were arrested on Monday in connection with the Narada bribery case.
Lambasting BJP, TMC leaders alleged that the saffron party had used the CBI for vindictive politics as it couldn't accept its defeat in the recently-concluded state Assembly elections.
Yashwant Sinha, national vice-president of Trinamool Congress, tweeted: "Can the central govt declare war against a state govt? This is exactly what it has done with West Bengal. It is misusing the governor and every central agency to browbeat the state govt. But it will not touch those who have migrated to the BJP. Wah Modi! Biggest joke of the day, 'CBI is an independent agency'."
Veteran TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy demanded resignation of Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. He also questioned whether the Governor was the competent person to give sanction under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018.
"On 9 May Dhankhar accorded sanction for prosecution whereas Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim took oath on 10 May. Hence, Dhankhar
was not the competent authority for sanction under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act 2018. Absolutely illegal act by Jagdeep. RESIGN," Roy tweeted.
Mimi Chakraborty, Trinamool Congress MP, tweeted: "A person when joins BJP becomes saint as soon as he leaves the same party CBI knocks his door. CBI Now??? Are they bringing vaccines??" Criticising the Governor, Trinamool Congress leader Purnendu Basu said it was anti-Constitution on the part of the Governor that instead of helping the state government, he was representing the BJP.
He tweeted: "Salute to Mamata Banerjee. Primarily the conspiracy hatched by the CBI and directed by the Centre has been defeated."
He further tweeted: "Arresting the ministers during the time of pandemic is a classical example of BJP's vindictive politics."
Trinamool Mahila Congress also criticised the illegal arrest of three Trinamool Congress MLAs, including two ministers.
In a letter submitted to the Commissioner of Police, Chandrima Bhattacharya, president of the Mahila Congress, alleged: "Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were behind the whole game who are pulling the strings and the Governor is acting at their diktat." Adhir Chowdhury, WBPCC president, said such an act of the CBI when the whole state was fighting against the spread of COVID-19 was uncalled for.
In a statement issued by Suryakanta Misra, Secretary of CPI(M) state committee alleged that this step was taken to divert the attention of people to cover up the failure of the Centre. The decision was taken to satisfy the political vendetta of the BJP, he maintained.
