TMC dismisses the Sting
TIA NEWS /
A sting operation by a news portal, Narada News, has shown images resembling almost top leaders of Mamata Banerjee grabbing wads of cash or telling a representative of a fictitious company where to hand over the money to ensure favours for the firm.
The images on the tape resembled some of the most familiar faces that surround the chief minister and wield power: Subrata Mukherjee, Sovan Chatterjee, Mukul Roy, Sultan Ahmad, Subhendu Adhikari, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Prasun Banerjee, Madan Mitra and Saugata Roy.
The ownership of the sting for the portal, Narada News, has been taken by Mathew Samuel, who was part of the pioneering Tehelka operation that felled the then BJP president Bangaru Laxman in 2001.
Without referring to the sting, Mamata said today: “The CPM, the Congress and the BJP have come together and resorted to dirty politics. They cannot fight us politically and are trying to malign us. The people will give them a fitting reply.”
“The Saradha controversy could not affect us. Let us see what the Narada video does to our party,” said a Trinamul insider.
However, party leaders conceded in private that the Opposition appeared to have stumbled on a goldmine on the eve of the elections.
“Undoubtedly, the poll campaign would now be focused on the sting. This time, the battle would be very close as the Opposition parties have ganged up…. In a closely contested election, such issues may have an impact,” said a Trinamul leader.
Never have images resembling so many household names in Bengal been shown taking money – that too with an impunity that radiated a sense of immunity.
TMC dismisses the Sting
The Trinamul Congress has dismissed the sting as a dirty tricks campaign by a desperate Opposition. The following points have been cited by party sources to dismiss the operation as a smear campaign.
• The Bengal sting operation was carried out before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, almost two years ago.
• The timing of the disclosure – close to the Assembly polls next month – raises questions. So does the motive behind the nearly two-year wait.
• The authenticity of the footage is yet to be verified. However, the Trinamul rebuttal appeared to focus on questioning the timing and the motive, not on outright denial that such encounters had taken place at all.
But the Opposition is banking on the following factors:
• The all-season honesty wall Mamata has erected around Trinamul no longer looks impregnable.
• Narada will be the issue of the campaign for the Assembly elections.
• Trinamul is dismissing the sting as inconsequential but Mamata should remember that she walked out of the Vajpayee government over the Tehelka issue. “Now, why is she silent?” asked Pradip Bhattacharya, Congress MP.
Trinamul’s official reaction was guarded, laying stress on the circumstances under which the footage was released and without going into specifics such as whether the leaders had met the representative of the fictitious company or not.
Trinamul spokesperson Derek O’Brien said in a statement: “We have watched the video of the so-called ‘sting’ operation. There is no sting in it. We are completely dismissive about it.
“All I can say to our shameless political opponents is, come, fight us politically. Do not take recourse to your dirty tricks department. The timing of the dirty tricks video too clearly indicates the devious motive behind it. Why was the organisation who supposedly shot this video hiding the so-called ‘truth’ for more than two years and releasing it today?
“We are focused on the upcoming elections and do not wish to be distracted by this smear campaign. We live in an age where technology is often abused.
The Opposition lapped up the footage and upped the ante on Mamata.
“I have received this video. This is how public money is being looted in Bengal. The EC should step in. If required, President’s rule should be imposed while the case is probed,” said Surjya Kanta Mishra, state CPM secretary.
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who said the tapes appeared to be genuine but sought an investigation to establish their veracity, said: “Parliament should also take cognisance of this sting operation and act as MPs have been shown taking money.”
The Congress, the Left’s tactical ally, said the polls should be deferred till a probe was carried out.
” Asli chehra nikal aaya hai (Their real face has come out),” said BJP national secretary and co-minder for the state, Sidharth Nath Singh. “All big leaders have been exposed in the sting operation. Mamata must resign immediately…. We have written to the CBI director.”
On a day the full bench of the Election Commission of India was in Calcutta, the BJP requested the central poll panel to bar the accused ministers from contesting the polls. Other political parties also brought the matter to the poll panel’s attention.