Narada scam: TMC fumes over CBI arrests, alleges Bengal Guv 'trying to secure BJP ticket'

The Trinamool Congress on Monday threatened to move to the Supreme Court against the ‘unlawful’ arrest of 4 TMC leaders in connection with the Narada sting operation case. Fuming over the arrests, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said the top court had recently ruled that the police or law enforcement agencies cannot detain or arrest anyone unnecessarily during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is CBI’s vindictiveness. They are doing it under some pressure. The Governor sanctioned their arrested without any aid or advice from the Chief Minister. This sanction is unconstitutional. He did this with a malafide and vindictive attitude,” Kalyan told reporters.

The TMC MP went on to call the Bengal Governor a ‘bloodsucker’, who is trying to ‘secure a ticket’ from the BJP before the 2024 elections. “That Governor is whimsical, and a bloodsucker. He should not stay here for even a minute. He is roaming around here like a mad dog," Kalyan said.

The TMC leader also stated that the charge sheet filed against state ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra and former minister Sovan Chatterjee were ‘illegal’. “If CBI makes a raid CBI has to inform to local police. In this case, CBI with help of CISF entered the leader’s home. So much power has been given to the CISF in the state. Now the court has granted interim bail on 50,000 personal bonds,” he said.

Hitting out at the BJP, Kalyan said that TMC-turncoats Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy are not being arrested by any agency as they are ‘sheltered’ by the saffron party at the Centre. “Those who are in BJP are having an umbrella and those in TMC are being arrested,” he added.

CBI court grants bail to TMC leaders

The CBI on Monday morning arrested state ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, TMC MLA Madan Mitra as well as former minister Sovan Chatterjee in connection with the Narada scam case in which politicians were purportedly caught taking money on camera.

Their arrest had stirred up massive chaos in Kolkata as TMC supporters held demonstrations defying lockdown norms in various places, including outside the CBI office. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself joined the demonstrations and offered to get arrested in protest against the arrest of her two cabinet ministers. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had recently granted sanction to prosecute all the four leaders, following which the probe agency finalised its charge-sheet and moved to arrest them.

On Monday evening, a special CBI court granted bail to all four TMC leaders accused in the case. A bench led by Justice Anupam Mukherjee at the Bankshall Sessions Court granted bail to Madan Mitra, Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee and former TMC MLA Sovan Chatterjee against a personal bond of Rs 50,000.