Kolkata: Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Sunday stood by Anubrata Mondal, who is presently lodged in prison after being arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a cattle smuggling case in 2022. “They have kept Keshto (Anubrata Mondal’s pet name) behind the bars for so long. But they have failed to remove him from the hearts of the people. I have heard the younger generation talking about him. It is because he has done good work here. They are talking about him, but what about the corrupt leaders of the BJP? What action was taken against them?” Banerjee questioned.
Mondal has been a dedicated party worker of TMC and has made a notable contribution in strengthening party organisation in Birbhum. He has been serving as the Birbhum district president of TMC and still continues to hold the portfolio, despite being lodged at Tihar jail.
Banerjee alleged that Mondal was a victim of vendetta politics. “He has been arrested and kept confined because he has done good work. But he still remains in the hearts of the people of Birbhum,” she added.
Banerjee has formed a 5-member core committee which will work for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls following the formula of Mondal.
“There is another thing —PMLA. If you have any allegations against anyone, you conduct an investigation properly and give a chargesheet. Let law take its own course. But you cannot keep someone behind the bars. If you think you can win elections this way, you are wrong. Even Indira Gandhi did the same during the Emergency Period but lost. Unleashing agencies for keeping people in prison will not work as the people will not tolerate such practice,” Banerjee thundered.