MillenniumPost
Bengal

'Central probe agencies ignoring min-mafia nexus'

KOLKATA: Sharing a photograph of Union minister Pralhad Joshi with an alleged 'coal mafia,' Trinamool Congress on Friday alleged that the Central investigative agencies were 'deliberately ignoring the nexus.' The photograph featured the minister with alleged coal smuggling kingpin Joydeb Khan.

The photograph, which went viral on social media, had been shared at a time when the BJP had accused Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and his relatives of having links with coal mafias. Sharing the same image, Abhishek tweeted: "I wonder what Minister @JoshiPralhad is doing with tainted coal mafia, Joydeb Khan! Is he discussing ways of filling @BJP4India's pockets or congratulating him on siphoning the Nation's resources? The @dir_ed and the CBI have conveniently ignored this MAFIA-MINISTER NEXUS."

Later during a press conference held at Trinamool Bhavan, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh shared the photographs of Joshi and Khan. "This is the same BJP, whose leaders cannot sleep at night, as they are worried about coal smuggling. Why don't these leaders answer the question as to what the Union Coal minister is doing with accused Joydeb Khan?" Ghosh asked.

"Were the two men discussing when and where the next phase of coal smuggling will take place? Were they discussing policies on coal smuggling? Before questioning others, BJP leaders should answer these few questions," Ghosh further added.

He also questioned the Central government's repeated and baseless attacks on Trinamool over the alleged coal smuggling in the state. "It is the Central government, which is in charge of coal mining in the country, and not the state government. Even the security guards outside the coal mines are CRPF and Central forces and not the state police. So, if the BJP leaders say that there's coal smuggling going on in Bengal, why aren't they questioning the Central forces that guard the mines?" Ghosh asked.

On the same issue, TMC MP Derek O'Brien tweeted: "PM @narendramodi answer this. QUESTION: How is your Minister for Coal having special meetings with a shady/rotten/tainted honcho of the COAL MAFIA when a CBI-ED enquiry is underway?"

However, Millennium Post couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the pictures of Joshi and Khan, attached with the tweets.

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