How much of tax payers’ money spent to send Central agency sleuths to state: TMC
KOLKATA: With the BJP raising questions over the amount of money being spent for the Nabajowar campaign and the number of state police personnel allotted for the protection of Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress has rebutted by asking how much of taxpayers’ money is being spent by the saffron brigade in ferrying Central agency officers in and out of Bengal and to provide central security to their state unit leaders.
The TMC on Thursday sought to give a point-by-point rebuttal to the allegations of the Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari who claimed that 2245 police personnel were deployed in a single day (May 31) to protect just one person- Abhishek Banerjee. Suvendu questioned that if such huge police force is deployed just to protect Abhishek, leaving most police stations of South Bengal empty, who will maintain law and order in the state? Addressing the media, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that Abhishek gets a specific amount of security for protection. “If there’s a huge gathering, then it is the duty of the police to ensure law and order is maintained. There is nothing abnormal in this. Abhishek also has his own security personnel. Suvendu is saying this out of insecurity since the Nabajowar campaign has turned into a ‘Jana Jowar’ (a tide of people). This has greatly perturbed the Opposition parties. Hence, such unreasonable objections are being raised.”
Refuting Suvendu’s claim that law and order in Bengal have “deteriorated extremely”, Kunal said there is nothing wrong with Bengal but asked what is happening in the BJP-ruled-Manipur. “Double engine government’s failure is out in the open. Manipur is burning with massive and uncountable damages”
Further, Kunal said the TMC wants to know much of the taxpayer’s money is being spent by the BJP to ferry CBI and ED officers in and out of Bengal. “Central agency officers are frequently sent to Bengal to create an antagonistic atmosphere against the TMC. An impression is being created that the state government may collapse at any time. Who is sponsoring this drama? This money should be spent from BJP’s party fund instead of using peoples’ money,” Kunal remarked.
Kunal further alleged that in 2017 the BJP government had spent two billion USD to buy Pegasus software for snooping on opposition party leaders which included Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. “Their phones were being tapped. Who sponsored this? Who sponsored Central forces protection for all the newbies who joined the BJP ahead of the 2021 Bengal Assembly elections? We need answers” he asserted. “When will ED interrogate Suvendu Adhikari? We demand to know?” he questioned.
