TMC dares BJP to take names if it has allegations against anyone & not resort to rhetoric

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday alleged that the saffron party is indulging in personal attacks and character-assassination of its leaders, especially a youth leader who is also an MP, as it has nothing to showcase to the public because of the BJP-led central government's anti-people policies.

Addressing a press conference at Trinamool Congress Bhavan, party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dared BJP's national general secretary, Kailash Vijayvargiya to make direct allegation against any leader without making rhetoric and trying to confuse people.

"Kailash Vijayvargiyaji was talking of a 'bhaipo'. I dare him to take the name of the person he is referring to instead of using some rhetoric.

Either you take the person's name or stop spreading lies," Ghosh said.

The TMC spokesperson asked if the son of a doctor cannot become a doctor or the son of a lawyer cannot take up his father's profession and whether anyone from the family of a politician cannot become a politician.

"We want that the debate should be on development work in the state. But since the BJP has nothing to talk about in this regard, it is indulging in negative comments, creating unrest and the most condemnable act of personal attacks and character assassination," he said. There should not be personal attacks against anyone as it may have repercussions, Ghosh added.

He claimed that the 'bhaipo' that the BJP leadership is targeting is the cynosure of the eyes of youth and students of the state and said that he had won the Lok Sabha elections twice with a huge number of votes.

Drawing a comparison with Rajiv Gandhi, he said that BJP is afraid of the young TMC leader just as it was of the Congress president and former Prime Minister. "You are indulging in personal attacks since you are afraid of the young Turk," he said.

Ghosh said BJP along with CPI(M) had spread canard against Rajiv Gandhi and called him a thief. "In 1988 Jyoti Basu shared the same platform with VP Singh and AB Vajpayee in Kolkata and both CPI(M) and BJP had brought allegation against Rajivji. However, later all the allegations were found to be false," he remarked.

He said before making any criticism against any Trinamool leader, Vijayvargiya should clarify why his son Akash, a party MLA had assaulted some municipal workers with a cricket bat. "TMC

does not believe in character assassination but has to do it to stop mud-slinging," he said.

He remarked that in 2015 and 2016, the BJP had raised the slogan of 'Bhag Mukul Bhag', but Mukul Roy is now a leader of the saffron party. The 'Bhag Mukul Bhag' slogan was raised against Roy when an allegation of involvement in the Saradha scam was raised against him. Roy was made BJP's national vice-president in September this year.

Ghosh maintained that Vijayvargiya should clarify what had prompted the party. "Before making any allegation of corruption against Trinamool, BJP leaders should do a self-analysis," he said. "Is the BJP a washing machine that whoever joins it becomes a clean person?" Ghosh asked.

Ghosh slammed the BJP over the chit fund scam issue saying if Mirja can be arrested then based on his statements Mukul Roy should also be arrested. Ghosh further added that he had written a letter to the CBI on September 29 requesting it to make

arrangement for a face to face interrogation between him and Roy.

Saying that the BJP seems confused Ghosh said that in regards to "syndicate" while Vijayvargiya was speaking against it the party's leaders were saying that "syndicate existed and will continue to do so," he asked the saffron party to think what it was doing.

Without naming anyone, Ghosh referred to BJP MP Arjun Singh's claim on Saturday that five TMC MPs were keen to join the saffron party and said that it is an attempt to hide the possibility of four BJP MPs switching over to the TMC.