Black money tops poll plank list
Black money issue has suddenly emerged as one of the main poll planks in the run-up to the crucial Assembly polls. On the eve of the second phase of polling, CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose on Friday alleged that Debapriyo De Sarkar, a person close to Trinamul Congress minister Mukul Roy deposited five demand drafts worth
`1.23 crores in the Chowringhee branch of a bank. He has urged the Election Commission (EC) to probe the matter. Trinamul Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee on the other hand alleged that senior CPI(M) leader and state housing minister Gautam Deb had made `200 crores by allotting 600 plots of land in Rajarhat Newtown by misusing his discretionary powers after the notification of the election.
Meanwhile, the Trinamul Congress on Friday demanded that the EC should reprimand CPI(M) central committee member Gautam Deb, Mr Bose and chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for making “wild and fabricated charges” against the party for “using black money in the poll campaigning”.
A Trinamul Congress delegation, comprising MPs Mukul Roy, Sudip Banerjee and Kalyan Banerjee, called on deputy election commissioner Vinod Zutshi at the office of the state chief electoral officer and submitted a memorandum. “The allegation that has been made by Mr Deb, Mr Bose and Mr Bhattacharjee is baseless. We have already lodged a complaint with the EC four days ago, but any step is yet to be taken. Mr Zutshi has informed us that the EC has given a timeframe to the CPI(M) to furnish the evidence. He has also assured us that steps will be taken against the CPI(M), if they failed to do so,” Mr Kalyan Banerjee said.
The Trinamul Congress also lodged a complaint with the EC that CPI(M) was raising funds by distributing coupons bearing the Ashoka emblem. Reacting to the allegations and counter-allegations, Mr Zutshi said, “We will examine all the allegations and will take appropriate action.”
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