Soon after the CBI arrested two of Trinamool Congress’s ministers today morning in relation to the Narada bribery case of 2014, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the top investigation department’s office demanding them to arrest her as well.
During her camp outside the CBI office that lasted for over 6 hours, the CM said, “The way they have been arrested without due procedure, CBI will have to arrest me also.”
The body’s headquarter in Nizam Palace of Kolkata witnessed a large congregation filled with Trinamool workers who were protesting against the arrest. Reportedly, the crowd also tried to break barricades and threw stones at the paramilitary personnel. The latter then made use of batons to get them out of the area.
The ruckus started after Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, two of the four people named in the Narada bribery case, were arrested suddenly on Monday morning from their homes by the Central forces.
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The issue comes in as the latest development in the Centre-Bengal competition growing fiercely since Mamata Banerjee won the election for the third consecutive time. Two more people have been arrested- Trinamool MLA Madan Mitra and ex Trinamool leader Sovan Chatterjee. After being a mayor and senior minister of Kolkata, Sovan Chatterjee quit the party in 2019 to join BJP. However, he quit BJP too in March this year.
The crowd at the CBI office brought the Governor’s sharp accusations as he alleged there was “total lawlessness and anarchy” while warning of “repercussions”
Requesting those protesting to remain calm, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee, tweeted, “I urge everyone to abide by the law and refrain from any activity that violates lockdown norms for the sake of the larger interest of Bengal and its people. We have utmost faith in the judiciary and the battle will be fought legally.”
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Notably, there were 2 other Trinamool leaders- Mukul Roy and Suvendu Adhikari- who were also allegedly caught taking bribe. However, they were not arrested. After the Narada incident, the two quit Trinamool and joined BJP. Both are currently MLAs from BJP and contested in the recent state election. They were still a part of Trinamool when their prosecution wasn’t sanctioned.
Leaving these two, Governor Dhankhar sanctioned action against only the 4 who were arrested today, skipping the mandatory requirement of the state assembly Speaker to clear prosecutions of MLAs. This was after the CBI chose to go to the Governor in January without bringing the issue to the Speaker first.
Defending this, the Governor said that he had the power to grant sanctions for action as the ministers were sworn in by him in 2011 when Mamata Banerjee set up her government for the first time in Bengal.
Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee were sworn in by the Governor as members of the new Mamata Banerjee cabinet following her third win.
However, the arrests invited dozens of questions from Trinamool and opposition parties regarding the situation and precise timing of the same when the Centre and Bengal are on bad terms with each other after BJP lost Bengal elections despite the hullabaloo.
The Narada bribery scandal was a result of a sting operation where the arrested leaders are accused of taking Rs. 4-5 lakhs in 2014.
In a bid to expose the government and its leaders’ doings, the news portal had released the tapes from the sting operation just before 2016’s assembly elections in Bengal.
Suvendu Adhikari was clearly seen taking cash on camera. Yet, he hasn’t been arrested. Mukul Roy was not caught directly accepting cash but was seen sending the sting operator to a police officer who then took the money.
Mamata Banerjee called the protection of the former Trinamool members from arrest the “washing machine effect”, referring to associations with BJP through breaking ties with Trinamool by those who wanted to escape prosecution.
Seven Trinamool MPs, four ministers, one MLA and a police officer were seen taking bribe after a journalist posed as a businessman came to Kolkata from Delhi, presenting his interest to invest in Bengal.
Another person named in the case- MP Sultan Ahmed has died. Sougata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Prasun Banerjee and Aparupa Poddar were also requested to be prosecuted. However, the Lok Sabha speaker did not grant sanction to arrest any of them, dismissing CBI’s plea.