Partha Chatterjee slams CBI, political opponents

EOI & PTI, SILIGURI, 6 Apr 2015: Sticking to the old adage that ‘attack is the best form of defence,’ Trinamool Congress on Monday slammed the CBI and refused to attach any special significance to the notice it has sent to the party for seeking its income and expenditure details.

"CBI is working under instructions of a particular party to put TMC in trouble," Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee told reporters in Siliguri on Monday, without mentioning BJP by name. Questioning the competence of CBI, he said the Trinamool Bhavan in Kolkata received a lot of letters every day and treated all of them with importance. "The same importance would be accorded to CBI's letter," Chatterjee quipped.

The West Bengal education minister who is in Siliguri to campaing for Trinamool candidates in the civic poll also engaged in a verbal duel with CPM veteran Ashok Bhattacharya over the latter’s candidature in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation election.

CBI in its notice addressed to new Trinamool all-India general secretary Subrata Bakshi has asked details of sources of income of the party during 2010-2013 and also the expenditure pattern. Bakshi is holding the post since the unceremonious removal of Rajya Sabha M.P. Mukul Roy from the post. Roy was earlier quizzed by CBI in the Saradha case, soon after which he had started apparently to distance himself from Trinamool.

Chatterjee labelled the Left Front as a diminishing power with presently having a tiny support-base in West Bengal. He made the remarks while addressing a Press conference at Siliguri Jouirnalists’ club.

“The Left Front has lost its organisational strength and supporter base in the state. This became obvious to everyone when former Urban and Municipal affairs minister Ashok Bhattacharya nominated himself as a candidate for the civic poll here,” Chatterjee said.

“The popularity of the Left Front has declined to the extent that its leaders struggled to find candidates to represent the leftist alliance in the wards in the forth coming civic poll here. The insecurity has compelled the former minister to participate in the election as a candidate.”

Chatterjee said Trinamool would fight on the plank of development under Mamata Banerjee's leadership.

The previous Congress-ruled board had failed to give any service to the people of Siliguri, while the CPM suffered from organisational shortcomings that cut it off from the people. Trinamool was the only organised party which would be in a position to be with the people, he claimed.

When asked to express his reaction on the remarks, Ashok Bhattacharya said Trinamool feared his participation in the election would turn the tide against the ruling party. “Chatterjee’s remarks are the explicit expression of the fear,” Bhattacharya said.

“Trinamool leader Krishnendu Chowdhury is participating in the municipal poll in Malda despite being a serving minister. Partha should know about his own party before making comments on others,” the CPM veteran pointed out.