KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday alleged that BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had never been questioned in the Narada sting case despite allegations that he accepted money, while he faced repeated summons in what he called false cases.

The Diamond Harbour MP made the allegation after police questioned him for nearly four hours at Bhowanipore police station over a social media post concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

At a glance

  • Police questioned Banerjee in connection with an FIR registered on May 27 over his social media remarks.
  • Banerjee said he had appeared before police, the CID, the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI whenever summoned.
  • He alleged that a demolition drive near his Kalighat residence and cases against him were acts of political vendetta.
  • The MP urged the administration not to remove footpath vendors whose livelihoods depended on their stalls.

What happened

Banerjee spoke to reporters outside his Kalighat residence after the questioning. The FIR alleged that he had described Kumar in a social media post as a “puppet of the anti-Bengali Gujarati gang”. It said the remarks could harm communal harmony and national integrity.

He said the post was a response to a social media post by BJP leader Amit Malviya. Banerjee alleged that Malviya had questioned whether Bengali was a language and called it “Bangladeshi”.

Banerjee said he explained to the police whom he had referred to as the “Gujarati gang” and answered all their questions. He said he had never avoided an investigation and had complied with summons issued by various agencies.

He also referred to a bulldozer drive outside his residence earlier in the week. Banerjee said he did not object to the removal of government-built structures, including a police camp, but maintained that a memorial at the site should have been spared.

Who said what

Banerjee alleged that Adhikari, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, had not appeared at a police station or before the CBI in connection with the Narada case over the past five years. He claimed that Adhikari had been protected by the High Court and was never called for questioning despite allegations arising from the sting operation.

“There is nothing against me, yet I am repeatedly being summoned in various false cases,” Banerjee said.

He said he had appeared before the police, the CID, the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI whenever required. Banerjee said he had answered every question put to him and would cooperate again if summoned.

Defending his description of the BJP as “anti-Bengali”, he alleged that party workers had vandalised a statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in Kolkata. He also accused the Centre of withholding funds for housing, rural employment and rural roads in West Bengal for five years.

On the demolition drive, Banerjee appealed to the authorities to protect footpath vendors. “If you want to run a bulldozer, run it over me, not over the poor,” he said.

He described the demolition drive and the cases against him as political vendetta. “You cannot fight politically, so sometimes it is a bulldozer, sometimes a police case, sometimes a false case,” he said.

Background

The Narada case stems from a sting operation in which several persons were allegedly shown accepting money. Banerjee’s remarks centred on his allegation that investigating agencies had treated Adhikari differently from him.

The immediate case against Banerjee arose from his social media post about the Chief Election Commissioner. Police registered the FIR on May 27, alleging that the post could harm communal harmony and national integrity.

Banerjee maintained that his remarks were made in response to Malviya’s post. He said he had clarified his position before the police and had cooperated with investigators in every matter in which he was summoned.

Why it matters for Assam and the Northeast

The developments concern a West Bengal political dispute and do not involve Assam or the Northeast. Banerjee’s allegations, however, renewed the wider political debate over the use of investigative agencies and police action against opposition leaders.

What next

Banerjee said he would cooperate with investigators if he was called for questioning again. Police action in connection with the FIR will determine the next course in the case.