The Trinamool Congress on Sunday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar alleging that he made “threatening remarks” against Prasanta Mitra, the Chairman of Gangarampur Municipality.
Sukanta Majumdar “unequivocally stated that Mr Prasanta Mitra will be taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate for a period which is longer than his time served as the Chairman of the aforesaid Municipality”, said the TMC. He made the remark at a public meeting in Gangarampur, added the party.
Prasanta Mitra is also the brother of Biplab Mitra, TMC’s Lok Sabha candidate for the Balurghat seat.
The ruling party in West Bengal said Sukanta Majumdar’s statement “sends a clear message to everyone that the ruling dispensation at the Centre has undoubtedly taken complete control of central departments/agencies with the sole intention of misusing their offices to create hindrances for AITC’s leaders/candidates/members/functionaries as well as other opposition parties”.
The party asked the Election Commission to take action against Sukanta Majumdar and sought directions to “restrain” him and the BJP from “making any further threats” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The TMC also sought guidelines to stop central agencies from taking steps against the party’s functionaries that would “hinder their activities” till the end of the Lok Sabha elections.
It asked the poll body to issue orders to transfer the directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation, ED, Income Tax Department and the National Investigation Agency to “ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates”.
The TMC pointed out that it had already filed a complaint seeking action by the Election Commission against the “illegal manner in which the BJP has been weaponising various central departments/agencies to harass and throttle the campaign efforts of all opposition parties”.
It said Sukanta Majumdar’s statement should be examined “keeping in mind the multiple incidents of illegalities” which the TMC had informed in its previous complaints.
Source Agencies
