Won’t seek probe in sting video, says TMC

Trinamool Congress on Thursday ruled out any probe into the sting video, saying it “does not believe it”.

“The party does not believe it, why should we seek investigation?” TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said when asked why his party was not seeking investigation into the sting video.

“We had faced many conspiracies. We have the strength to counter it. We have confidence in ourselves,” he said.

The sting video, released by a news portal, purportedly showed TMC leaders accepting money to help a fictitious private firm. “The Opposition parties’ only agenda is to launch smear campaign against the chief minister and attack Trinamool Congress,” Partha asserted. Earlier, TMC vice-president Mukul Roy had described it as a “doctored and manufactured” video. Meanwhile, Mishra, also CPI(M) state secretary, in a tweet said, “What’s stopping d CM to test d video footage which her party claims 2 b ‘doctored’? She&her party has lost all moral right 2 rule. Oust TMC (sic),” Mishra tweeted. The Left Front during the day organised a procession here demanding action against those whose names figured in the sting operation.

“There is no other way but to take to the street,” LF chairman Biman Bose said.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress will take out a rally on Friday to protest against the circulation of the video on sting operation involving some party leaders, Parthasaid on Thursday.

The rally will start from Sealdah station premises and end at Y Channel. He said that the sting operation was a deliberate attempt to malign the party before the Assembly election. Veteran party leader Mukul Roy had already said it was a doctored video and the whole purpose was to malign the party before the polls. The party had already given a legal notice to Narada news which had carried out the sting operation. The matter has been sent to the Ethics Committee of the Parliament after both the Congress and CPI(M) demanded a thorough investigation. Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Youth Congress president has already sent a legal notice to the Editor of Sangbad Pratidin for carrying news maligning him.

Trinamool leaders said that the video was made to blackmail some party leaders. They said that it would have no effect on the poll prospect of the party because people know that it was a concocted one. “If there were more information, then the sting operation should be uploaded for the viewers. The editor of the news agency claimed that for a period of over two years they had taken the videos and the total length would be for about 52 hours. “If that is the case then they should have uploaded it for the people to see. Everybody will be interested to see the entire video,” the leaders said adding that there was discrepancy in the statement of the editor who had virtually faltered in an interview on Thursday.