Governor consulting Constitutional experts :::: "Last Nail in the coffin" :::: CPI-M says Mamata must be arrested :::: Guv Ananda Bose says - "Bengal has two cancerous growths - Violence and Corruption"

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose says, "I am of the firm conviction, which I have been expressing repeatedly.  

BJP says : "After today's episode (of taking away evidence and documents during ED raids); Trinamool Congress has lost moral and political right to remain in power". 
 

Bengal has two cancerous growths on its body politic - one is violence and the other is corruption. 

"These are two issues which are to be tackled very effectively, in a very pro-active manner if the state is to come back to its pristine glory."

On CM Mamata Banerjee and ED raids at the IPAC office in Kolkata, the West Bengal Governor said -- 

"Preventing a public servant from the discharge of his public functions is an offence, threatening a public servant and intimidating him against taking legal action which is expected of him is a graver offence. 

Constitutional authorities breaking the Constitution is a still graver offence. All these are being looked into from all angles."

Senior CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim demanded the chief minister’s arrest. 

“She was seen leaving with files and a laptop. She claimed it had party information. But we think it had documentation for vote manipulation. That is what I-PAC does. 

We demand immediate lodging of a case against the chief minister and top police officials who were escorting her,” said the CPI(M) state secretary.

Questioning Mamata Banerjee for calling Pratik Jain as the party’s “IT sector chief”, Salim asked, “When did Pratik Jain join TMC? We never knew about him joining the TMC. Is his home a party office? The ED raided the office of I-PAC at Salt Lake. Is it a party office of the TMC as claimed by the chief minister?”

BJP state unit president Samik Bhattacharya says : 

"Even if the ED and CBI probe is stopped ... the defeat of Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool is inevitable".   

“Once, there were posters of Mamata Banerjee as a symbol of honesty put across Kolkata. Today, Mamata Banerjee put the last nail in the coffin of her image,” the BJP leader added.

Bhattacharya says : 

"After today's episode (of taking away evidence and documents during ED raids); Trinamool Congress has lost moral and political right to remain in power". 

Ground reporting : Blogger 

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose says, 

"There are legal issues, Constitutional issues involved in that. On that basis, we have received in the peace room a number of complaints. 

Today, a good number of advocates of the Calcutta High Court came here for a protest, they have also expressed their views. Legal views were also brought to my notice. 

"First, preventing a public servant from the due discharge of his public functions is an offence under the BNS, punishable with imprisonment and fine or both. Second, intimidating or threatening a public servant from doing his duty is a graver offence, also punishable with 2 years imprisonment and fine or both. Third issue is Constitutional and serious. 

"A Constitutional functionary is expected to facilitating implementation of the Constitution...The CM is a Constitutional authority. 

"By doing this act, as they claim, she has violated the Constitutional rights to continue as the CM... 

I am keeping my ears and eyes open. I am consulting the Constitutional experts on what to do. But since the matter is sub-judice, I don't want to make any judgment on that," the Governor said. 

BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said - 

"Mamata Banerjee just pushed the last nail in the coffin ... A chief minister who has taken oath of office .... today walked into an office and interfered in the functioning of a probe agency which is probing a criminal case".  

"This is not merely immoral ... it's totally illegal and a case of looting (taking away) of evidence. This is a proof that the entire Trinamool leadership is involved in this coal scam and money laundering". 

Former state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, meanwhile, alleged that I-PAC acts as the TMC’s “eyes and ears” and is engaged in “unethical and conspiratorial” police activities in West Bengal to ensure the TMC’s electoral success.

“I-PAC is like an investigating agency of the TMC. They are into vote manipulation,” he said.

Senior Congress leader said, “I-PAC does not contest elections, but controls the internal functioning of the TMC, deciding who will sit in which position, who will become a leader, and even influencing internal voting. 

These people are directly involved in the entire process. The money collected through all this is sent to the TMC office, and I-PAC takes its share from it. This is the reality of I-PAC.”

ends