TMC suspends Shahjahan for 6 yrs; dares BJP to take action against its tainted leaders

 Within hours after the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan by the West Bengal Police on Thursday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) suspended him for six years while demanding when will the BJP suspend their “tainted leaders”.

The police arrested Shahjahan from Basirhat, on Thursday, and produced him at the Basirhat Court where he was remanded to police custody for 10 days. Later, he was taken to the state police headquarters in Bhabani Bhavan. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has taken over the investigation. After the arrest was made, Section 144 of CrPC was imposed in 19 places in Sandeshkhali, including Sarberia, Akunjipara and the area of Shajahan’s residence.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, TMC leaders announced that Shahjahan has been suspended from the party for six years. The party highlighted that “state administration took prompt action after the Calcutta HC lifted the stay in the matter following AITC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s intervention.”

Derek O’Brien, Trinamool’s Parliamentary leader in Rajya Sabha said that Sheikh Shahjahan has been suspended from the party for six years. He said the TMC “walks the talk” and dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to suspend the “tainted” BJP leaders Narayan Rane, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Suvendu Adhikari.

TMC MLA Bratya Basu said: “BJP cannot take steps against its corrupt leaders such as Suvendu Adhikari or Himanta Biswa Sarma because they are not Trinamool. Will the BJP ever be able to suspend or strip their leader of all posts immediately after they have been arrested? No, they won’t. This is because BJP’s second name is the Washing Machine Party. We won’t be suppressed if someone suspended from our party is seen in the PM’s sabha.”

Further, the party highlighted how central agencies appealed in the court that they should be given the power to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan instead of the state police. “Once again, they acted as BJP spokespersons to ensure that the issue was kept alive till PM Modi’s arrival in Bengal,” he added.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Sukanta Majumder claimed that it was continuous agitation by their party which led to the arrest of Shahjahan. Majumder’s party colleague Suvendu Adhikari said: “This is not an arrest; this is a mutual adjustment. Unless the central agencies take him into their custody, the people there won’t get justice.”

Refuting this, and questioning why the ED could not arrest him, Trinamool MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar highlighted the chronology of events that led to the arrest. She said that on Sunday, Abhishek Banerjee pointed out how “it was only due to a legal hurdle that Bengal police was not able to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan.” “This stay was imposed due to the intervention of ED officials. While the court had curtailed Bengal police, there was no such imposition on ED – why didn’t they arrest him? It is only because they want to spread unrest in Bengal. Even today, they want ED-CBI to arrest him because they want to make this a political matter till the elections,” she said.