Though it put a brave face on its rejection by the people, the BJP is unlikely to forget its electoral humiliation in West Bengal in a hurry. The saffron camp first escalated the post-poll violence into an issue meriting President’s rule. But when it realised the move reeked of political vendetta, the party pulled out another old weapon in its arsenal—the Narada scam.
It began with West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar acceding to the CBI’s (Central Bureau of Investigation) request to prosecute four Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders on May 7. Strangely, the CBI had made the request sometime in January this year. The governor chose to respond to it three days before Mamata’s cabinet, which included two of the accused ministers, was to be sworn in.
Ten days later, on May 17, in an early morning swoop, the CBI picked up the four TMC leaders—the current panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee, transport & housing minister Firhad Hakim, Madan Mitra and ex-Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee—all of whom were part of Mamata’s cabinet between 2014 and 2016. They now stand charged under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and Sections 7 (gratification by public servant) and 13 (criminal misconduct by public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA). However, the marquee defector and recently-anointed leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikary and BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy have been left out in the charge sheet. A lower court granted the TMC leaders bail, but the Calcutta High Court stayed the bail order. Mamata herself sat on a six-hour dharna at the CBI’s Nizam Palace office in Kolkata, urging them to rel ease her partymen or arrest her too. TMC supporters clashed with security personnel.
Esta historia es de la edición May 31, 2021 de India Today.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 31, 2021 de India Today.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The Macallan M 2023 debuts in India
Standing as a pinnacle of exclusivity, The Macallan M 2023 graces the shores of India with limited 10 handpicked bottles for whisky aficionados
Give it up for the science bros
They've got brains, brawn and billions in the bank. A new breed of wellness guru is doing for men what Gwyneth Paltrow did for women.
LIVING BY THE RULES
Chetan Bhagat returns to non-fiction with his new book-11 Rules for Life
The Mysterious City
Anuradha Kumar's The Kidnapping of Mark Twain paints an intriguing portrait of Bombay around the time of the American writer's visit
GOWDA KNOWS
Hot Stage, the third book in Anita Nair's Inspector Gowda mystery series, is here
WITH OUR OWN DESI SLEUTHS
Indian detective fiction gets its due in this massive, two-volume compilation from Hachette
PRIVATE PARADISE
Your home may well be your haven, but here are easy ways to make it your very own spa-dom.
Subversive IN SUBURBIA
A MONTH-LONG SHOW AT ART AND CHARLIE, MUMBAI, SHOWCASING THE WORKS OF POONAM JAIN AND YOGESH BARVE POSES SEVERAL QUESTIONS TO THE VIEWER
THE HOME THAT WAS
A soon-to-launch gallery at the Partition Museum in Delhi will showcase artefacts capturing 'The Lost Homeland of Sindh'
The Enchanted Forest
A perfect refuge for city-weary folk, Six Senses Vana, the global brand's first dedicated wellness retreat in India, is where you go to retrieve yourself: Rest, reset and rejuvenate, the blockbuster RRR of the wellness universe.