The Income Tax (IT) department on Friday searched the premises of several Trinamool Congress (TMC) members, including its leading candidate for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections and Mamata Banerjee’s nomination proposer, drawing a sharp reaction from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who questioned the timing of the raids ahead of the vote on April 23 and 29.
The raids were carried out on the residence of TMC MLA Debashish Kumar, who is contesting from the Rashbari Assembly seat, and Meraj Shah, Banerjee’s candidate from Bhabanipur constituency.
“Search operations are continuing,” a police officer said in the morning, referring to Kumar’s residence on Padmapukur Road. Kumar’s office in Ballygunge area was also searched. The residence of another TMC leader, Kumar Saha, in south Kolkata was searched.
Last week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned Kumar twice in a separate alleged land grabbing case. I have searched at least five websites associated with a leading real estate group in Kolkata and Salt Lake.
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A similar search was conducted at Shah’s residence on Elgin Road in Bhawanipur, which continued until 4 pm. No IT officials spoke to the media. Shah, a member of the board of trustees of Bhawanipur Educational Society, which runs a college, suggested Banerjee’s nomination as a representative of the Gujarati community. While there was no official communication from the I-T department, sources said the central agency searched Kumar’s residence, office and the residence of his relative in connection with a case related to some illegal land grabbing.
“I think you should ask them why they came here and what they got after the inspection. If they submit the documents, I will also submit them. I think my margin of victory in the polls will go up. I would like to thank the officers. They behaved very well. There was no problem. It’s just that I had to suspend my campaign during the day,” Kumar told reporters in the evening. “Since they cannot confront me politically, they have started IT raids on the homes of my party leaders. They are cowards. But none of this will help the BJP,” Mamata Banerjee, who criticized the raids during an election rally in West Burdwan’s Durgapur, said.
TMC spokesman Jai Prakash Majumdar questioned the timing of the raids. “The elections are coming. [Prime Minister Narendra] Moody and [Union home minister Amit] Shah had brought with them all the central agencies, ECI [Election Commission of India]And the central powers. “What they don’t have is the support of the people.”
TMC workers hold protest
TMC workers also staged a protest against the raids outside Kumar’s office and Saha’s residence. Kumar, one of the legislators in the outgoing assembly, is also a mayoral member of the Kolkata Municipal Council.
Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rahul Sinha hit back at the TMC, accusing Kumar of receiving bribes in exchange for an illegal land deal. “The entire party is corrupt. Bengal wants the corrupt leaders to be behind bars. All they want is to catch thieves and fill the prisons,” he said. TMC state vice president Jai Prakash Majumdar said: “The BJP targeted Meraj Sah just because he suggested Mamata Banerjee’s candidacy. The BJP has pushed Bengal politics to this level.” [TMC)iscorruptBengalwantscorruptleaderstobebehindbarsAlltheywantistocatchthievesandfillupthejails”hesaidTMCstatevice-presidentJayPrakashMajumdarsaid“MerajSahhasbeentargetedbytheBJPjustbecauseheproposedMamataBanerjee’scandidatureBJPhaspulledBengal’spoliticsdowntothislevel”
Bengal BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarker responded to the allegation. “The I-T department has nothing to do with the elections or the BJP. They are running their operations independently. If TMC faces any problem in the raid, it can take up court,” Sarkar said. Polling in Rashbehari and Babanipur is scheduled to take place on April 29.
