‘BJP MLA’s son involved in cow smuggling, takes Rs 4L daily’

Kolkata: BJP MLA from Kulti, Ajay Poddar’s son Keshav has been accused of being involved in a cow smuggling racket and siphoning money to the tune of Rs 4 lakh per day.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) demanded the arrest of the BJP MLA and his son and a fair probe into the incident.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday alleged that Keshav Poddar has been taking Rs 1.20 crore on a monthly basis out of running a cow smuggling racket.

Trinamool leader Samir Chakraborty during a press conference published an audio clip to support his claim.

“An audio clip has gone viral, where two BJP leaders are making these disclosures. In the said audio clip, BJP Kulti-III Mandal Sabhapati Kanchan Sinha is heard having a conversation with BJP Kulti-III In-Charge Bibhas Singh, where he makes the disclosure that Keshav Poddar, the son of BJP legislator Ajay Poddar, is involved in the cow smuggling racket,” Chakraborty said. Millennium Post, however, has not verified the audio or the video.

In the audio clip, Sinha is heard telling Bibhas Singh to speak to Kulti MLA Ajay Poddar over his son’s transgressions. BJP’s Asansol Sabhapati Dilip Dey has identified the voice of Sinha in the said audio call and asked him to explain his actions. This proves that BJP is involved in the cow smuggling racket, Chakraborty claimed.

“Trinamool is bringing the audio call into the public sphere for the people to understand what BJP and its leaders are up to in Bengal. We have seen how BJP and its ‘allied’ central investigative agencies are hell-bent on tarnishing Bengal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s name,” Chakraborty said, adding: “On the one hand, the central government has refused to release Bengal’s due share in the 100 Days’ Work Scheme, while on the other hand, they have let loose central investigative agencies on Trinamool leaders.”

Trinamool Congress also demanded a response from the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in this connection.

“We seek a response from the Union Home minister on the involvement of the BJP legislator’s son in the cow smuggling racket. Shah was in Bengal recently, where he made tall claims of getting 35 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Shah’s claims of 35 seats in Bengal have fallen flat as he and his party have been exposed, not by Trinamool Congress, but by BJP leaders themselves. We are seeking the arrest of Kulti BJP MLA Dr Ajay Poddar and his son, Keshav,” Chakraborty stated.

He further mentioned: “We need to ask why the Enforcement Directorate is only targeting opposition leaders in the country? While the real culprits are being let off, Trinamool leaders are being harassed. In reality, it is BJP leaders themselves who are making money in the cow smuggling racket.”

“This trend is not prevalent only in Bengal, it is being noted in other states of the country too. Be it Jharkhand, where Hemant Soren is relentlessly targeted or Bihar, where Tejaswi Yadav has received CBI summons. In Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been arrested, while CM Arvind Kejriwal is questioned for about 10 hours by CBI,” Chakraborty said.