TMC has called the arrest of senior minister Jyotipriyo Mallick "vendetta" politics and questioned why BJP leaders who faced corruption allegations were not arrested despite switching allegiances.
Jyotipriyo Mallick was arrested today/ PTI
In Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has decried the arrest of its senior minister, Jyotipriyo Mallick, as "vendetta" politics and has raised concerns about the absence of actions against BJP leaders who switched allegiances despite facing corruption allegations and investigations by central agencies, stated an agency report.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), according to the reports, detained West Bengal Minister Jyotipriyo Mallick on Friday due to a money laundering case associated with an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scandal in the state. His apprehension occurred after an extensive 17-18 hours of questioning by the central agency.
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Leading the TMC's response, Minister Shashi Panja has accused the BJP of trying to silence opposition voices that advocate for issues important to the public. She emphasized the timing of investigations, linking them to election cycles and characterizing the BJP's actions as an attempt to suppress Abhishek Banerjee's movement demanding MGNREGA dues.
She was quoted as saying, "It is an attempt by the BJP to muzzle the opposition raising pro-people issues. The question is why corrupt BJP leaders and turncoats who have corruption charges against them are never summoned by the ED and CBI. The BJP is scared of the people's movement launched by Abhishek Banerjee demanding clearance of MGNREGA dues. The weak and powerless BJP has engaged in witch-hunting."
Panja expressed concern that the BJP had politicized the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to arrest Mallick, but she believed that such strategies would face opposition from the people of Bengal during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"Why do investigations gain momentum, whenever elections draw near and then conveniently taper off once the polls are over? The BJP is misusing central agencies to pursue politically motivated witch hunts against the opposition," asserted Panja.
In response, the BJP dismissed the allegations as unfounded, with State President Sukanta Majumdar stating that the TMC is deeply embroiled in corruption and suggested that they could seek legal recourse if they had complaints about the investigation.
Senior BJP leader and MP Dilip Ghosh hinted at further actions against TMC leaders and ministers, suggesting that Mallick's arrest marks just the beginning.
Mallick's arrest represents the second instance of a TMC cabinet minister being apprehended by central agencies in connection with corruption cases. Last year, former state minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the ED in a case related to a school job scam. Additionally, in the past year, two other MLAs and TMC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal have also been arrested in connection with school job scams and cattle smuggling cases by central agencies.
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