Reacting strongly to the allegation of using black money in campaigning levelled by state housing minister Gautam Deb, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday categorically said that her party will be filing a defamation suit against the minister. She said, “I never compromise with corruption and will never spare anybody if he or she tries to make graft charge against me.” Ms Banerjee announced that she has directed party leader Mukul Roy to take necessary action for filing the suit on Monday. At the same time, the Trinamul Congress is also contemplating to appeal the Central government to take necessary steps for the “correct disclosure” of immovable properties of the Left Front minister.
Addressing separate rallies in Nagarukhra, Chakdaha, Ranaghat and Kalyani in Nadia, a fuming Trinamul Congress chief said, without naming the state housing minister, “He has been speaking ‘limitless’ lies apprehending defeat in the Assembly polls. I will make him realise what Trinamul Congress is and what it can do,” she said.
She alleged that on earlier occasions, the CPI(M) had tried to mislead the people by using one of her photographs where she was pillion-riding on the bike of one of her party youth in North 24 Parganas, tagging the youth as arrested PCPA leader Chhatradhar Mahato, for which they later had apologised through their lawyer. “But this time I will not spare him (Mr Deb) even if his lawyer begs for apology on behalf of his client,” she added.
Terming the state housing minister as a “grandfather of thieves,” Ms Banerjee said, “Now the time has come to unmask this hero of Rajarhat land scam.”
Ms Banerjee further said, “I have nothing to hide and on repeated occasions I have told that the helicopter was provided by the Congress for which I am grateful to the party.” The Trinamul Congress chief claimed that the only reason behind using a helicopter was to reach to the people as much as possible before the election.
Earlier endorsing Mr Deb’s allegations against the Trinamul Congress and its leader Mamata Banerjee playing a money game in the polls, Left Front chairman Biman Bose said, “He has charged that the main Opposition party in the state is spending huge amount of money. He has said this on the basis of specific information and figures.”