The CPM also reacted very sharply to the sting and called for statewide agitation against Trinamool Congress. CPM secretary Surya Kanta Mishra said, “Elections Commission could even consider postponing elections in Bengal and imposing the President’s Rule in the truth about the sting comes out”.
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Kolkata: Campaigning hotted up in poll bound West Bengal today as the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Left Front made the most of a Sunday with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee taking to the streets to woo voters.
Code named X Files, the video purportedly shows 12 top TMC leaders, including former union minister and Mamata Banerjee’s close aide Mukul Roy, ex-UPA minister Saugata Roy, Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee, MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Suvendu Adhikari and Sultan Ahmed, and state Minister Subrata Mukherjee either talking about money or accepting wards of notes. “We will take legal action”, said party vice president Mukul Roy. “We have watched the video of the socalled “sting” operation”.
The Trinamool Congress has rubbished the claims calling the videos “doctored” and part of a “smear campaign” against the party. Her party leaders were involved in corruption and she has given leadership ” , he alleged. Talking to reporters in Delhi, Samuel claimed to have spent around Rs 85 lakh to bribe Trinamool leaders and said the “sting operation” was financed by a NRI businessman from Kerala.
The TMC was quick to dismiss the tapes as “doctored” .
Sources said it was pointed out to the poll panel that various government buildings were still displaying hoardings and banners showing the achievements of the Trinamool Congress dispensation. “The timing of the dirty tricks video, too, clearly indicates the devious motive behind it”.
“This is a smear campaign; we are all busy with (assembly) elections now. Our political opponents know they can not defeat us politically so they create a cheap tricks department”, he added.
The chief minister said: “Those who are averse to the Trinamool Congress hatch baseless conspiracies against us, but we do not care a bit about such falsehood because we strongly believe in development and people’s welfare”.
The Trinamool spokesperson said that in the present age, technology was often abused. BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said, “We demand that Mamata Banerjee resign immediately”.
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He also demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the matter and disallowing the leaders caught on tape from contesting the polls. “The sting carried out by Narada News proved what we have been saying for all these years”.
