Current affairs

Fresh trouble for Mamata Banerjee...Two Bengal ministers and an MLA arrested by CBI! Here's why

By alagu, 17 May, 2021
Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal, CBI

In what has become fresh trouble for West Bengal Mamata Banerjee within few days into forming a new government in the state, two sitting Bengal ministers - Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday morning in connection to the Narada scam, that was unfolded in 2014, during Mamata's first tenure as the Chief Minister. 

The high-level drama unveiled by CBI in Kolkata on Monday had drawn national attention and shocked Mamata Banerjee. Apart from the two ministers, the ruling Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra and former minister and former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee were also arrested by the Central body in the same case. According to reports, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had given permission to the CBI for the prosecution of these TMC leaders. 

Following the consent from the Governor, the CBI officials had stormed into the residences of these TMC leaders on Monday and arrested them for their alleged involvement in the scam. They were taken to the CBI office at the Nizam palace complex in Kolkata. After knowing the arrests, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had rushed to the complex and protested against the arrests. 

She told the CBI officers that the arrests were illegal and challenged the agency to arrest her. The reports say that the Governor has given consent to the CBI on May 8 to prosecute these leaders. However, Mamata Banerjee had claimed that the governor's approval was illegal. The TMC had urged the CBI to arrest Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy who also were accused in the same case. 

Adhikari was serving as a Lok Sabha MP of Trinamool Congress during the scam was unfolded while Mukul Roy was one of the second line leaders of TMC at that time. Along with the arrested four leaders, Adhikari and Roy were also accused in the same case. However, the TMC has alleged that the CBI didn't arrest them as they had joined the BJP. Adhikari is now the BJP's leader in West Bengal and was recently elected as the Opposition leader of the current assembly while Mukul Roy is now a national vice president of the BJP. 

According to reports, the CBI hasn't arrested Adhikari and Roy who were accused of the scam and the CBI's actions had drawn major flak with Trinamool Congress accusing CBI of becoming 'caged parrots' serving their political masters in the Union Cabinet. On the other hand, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said that the CBI has made a correct move by arresting the TMC leaders who were accused of corruption.

While Ranjan Bhattacharya welcomed the move, CPI (ML) (Liberation) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya had slammed the Center. He said that the Modi government is using the time for its politics of vendetta and persecution when India is asking for vaccines, oxygen, and care amid reeling under the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reports say that the CBI's arrests would fuel the tensions between the Central ruling BJP and the state ruling Trinamool Congress. 

One of the arrested ministers Firhad Hakim has assumed office as the Minister for Transport and Housing in the current Mamata Banerjee's cabinet. Following the arrest, Hakim said, "The CBI has arrested me in the Narada case. We will settle this matter in court." He added, "We will get a clean shit. I believe in the judiciary and I am sure we will get a clean shit. It is good that it is going to the court now and I will say my words and the judiciary will do justice."

Reacting to the arrests, TMC spokesman Kunal Ghosh said that the CBI's action was a vengeful act and a fallout of the BJP's loss in the West Bengal assembly elections. He said, "The BJP is still not able to accept defeat in the polls after having made an all-out attempt to win. This is a reprehensible act." They were arrested in connection with the Narada scam. In 2014, the Narada scam had hit the national headlines when journalist Matthew Samuel had conducted a sting operation in Kolkata. 

In the purported sting operation video, the leaders of Trinamool Congress were videographed while receiving money in doing favours for a company. Along with the politicians, a police officer was also seen in the video. According to ANI, hundreds of TMC supporters had gathered outside the CBI office in Kolkata and protested against the arrest of the party leaders. 

 

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