New Delhi: Infighting has increased manifold in Trinamool Congress over the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) scam in which a trusted aide of Mamata Banerjee, Partha Chatterjee, is to be
grilled by the CBI.
Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Avijit Gangopadhyay ordered Chatterjee, also the Trinamool Congress secretary general, to be present at the CBI office in Kolkata for questioning the same evening on April 12.
But within half an hour or so, a two-member bench division bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar and Justice Ananda Mukhopadhyay first gave a stay order and later, on April 13 (Wednesday), granted a four-week breather to Partha Chatterjee from appearing at the CBI office for interrogation.
Even as the legal and administrative matters would take their time, the Trinamool leaders have started fighting it out among themselves.
First, TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh gave a clean chit to present Education Minister Bratya Basu over the scam and held Chatterjee answerable, stating that the alleged irregularities took place during the latter’s tenure in the education department.
The very next day, state Transport Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, also a Mamata confidant, questioned Ghosh’s authority to comment on cabinet affairs.
Ghosh, who has been behind bars over the issue of the Sardha chit fund scam, retorted through a video message and said that there was no need for Hakim to remind him that he is not a minister.
Things have not ended with this. Another senior leader Madan Mitra also threw up himself in the ring, stating, “A post-mortem is going on to find out who was responsible for the WBSSC scam — the present state education minister Bratya Basu or the former education minister Partha Chatterjee. I am just an ordinary MLA, and if I comment anything on this matter, I will lose my job.”
He also said, “But all I can say is that if Kunal (Ghosh) made any statement breaching the party discipline, the party is hesitant to take disciplinary action against him. What the party’s disciplinary committee is doing? This same committee initiated disciplinary proceedings against me once.”
For the last few months, the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit has been facing indiscipline and regular infighting and differences in opinion on various important issues. This is somewhat a new phenomenon.
Differences have also surfaced between Mamata Banerjee herself and two key lawmakers, Mahua Maitra and Saugata Roy.
“When the Chief Minister is a woman even a single incident of rape is shameful. The culprits should get strict punishment. Zero tolerance should be done as far as women’s security is concerned. Police and administration should be aware,” said Roy at a function.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tried to give a “love- angle” twist to the rape of the minor girl, who died later at Hanskhali in Nadia district.
“What has happened is not right. I condemn it. The police have arrested the accused. But the opposition parties and a section of the media are trying to give a political twist to the entire event. I have received the news that there was a love affair between the accused and the victim. So why come to a conclusion before the investigation is completed,” Banerjee had said.
However, TMC MP Mahua Moitra had said, “As a party MP, all I want to say is that I am totally against such incidents. I cannot speak of others. But I will not tolerate such things”.
She also pointed out that under the law – “A girl below the age of 18 is minor and the law does not identify the right of a minor to give consent for sex. Consensual sex with a minor, as per the law, is considered as
aggravative penetration for sexual assault.”
A few months back, there was massive infighting in Trinamool Congress overwork allocation to various party leaders.
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