What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
KOLKATA: On Friday, After a long course of silence, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided to rally behind Trinamool Congress’ Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra, saying that her expulsion will make her more popular.
While speaking at the TMC’s mega meet, Banerjee said, “Their plan is to expel Mahua but that will make her more popular. What she used to say inside (the parliament) is what she will speak outside now. No one can do this unless they are foolish.”
From mid-October, the regional party headed by Banerjee had maintained a lease of silence since the controversy erupted. However, now the party supremo has now decided to stand beside the Krishnanagar MP.
“They have put four of our MLAs in jail. They are thinking of reducing our strength in this manner. If this is so I have also decided, they (BJP) also have several cases and we will put eight of them in jail,” Banerjee added.
In mid-November, the TMC had appointed Moitra as the party district president of Krishnanagar.
Abhishek Banerjee, the general secretary and the second in command of the TMC, had also pinned his faith in Moitra’s ability to fight her own battles, while addressing the media outside the Central Government Offices (CGO) complex on November 9, when he was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate.
Abhishek said, “The portion ( of the report) that I have says that the Chairman of the Ethics committee has written that if there’s anything (found) against the person (Mahua Moitra), investigate. My question is how can you recommend expulsion when the matter is subject to investigation.”
The political storm commenced after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Nishikant Dubey levied charges against Moitra of providing businessperson Darshan Hiranandani of the Hiranandani Conglomerate with access to her Lok Sabha website login credentials for personal gain. Dubey levied these charges while calling them the most serious of all charges against her.
However, while the TMC was maintaining its silence on the cash-for-query scandal, the state opposition led by the BJP had questioned the party’s intention, especially after noticing its vocal stance on TMC leader Jyotipriyo Mallicks’ arrest by the ED.
On the issue of Mamata supporting Moitra, Dilip Ghosh, the vice president of the BJP said, “They have no alternative. Nobody is joining that party although they are trying hard to bring honest people. The entire party has become corrupt. The people are also seeing what the party is doing.”
Presently, the matter has been referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to further investigate the matter.
