Amid ongoing fierce turf war between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress the Bengal police on Tuesday arrested Gopal Singh the driver of Soumendu Adhikari the brother of Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari in connection with a land scam at Contai in East Midnapore district. Contai is Adhikari's home town.
A notice to appear before the police has also been served to Sutapa Adhikari the sister in law of the State Opposition Leader inconnection with a separate graft case.
Singh a municipal worker and the driver of Soumendu Adhikari the former chairman of the Contai municipality was arrested in connection with the “illegal” grabbing of a local crematorium land and “illegal”distribution of stalls constructed there.
A notice to appear was also sent to Krishnendu Adhikari and Sutapa Adhikari two relatives of Suvendu Adhikari in a separate case related to construction of trident lamp posts in the municipal area, sourcessaid.
According to sources the above-mentioned cases had links with the Sharada scam. Very recently the arrested Sharada chit fund boss Sudipto Sen had mentioned about a letter he wrote to the CBI and ED about how he was extorted by Adhikaris for allowing them to pursue their real estate business at Kanthi and other areas of East Midnapore.
Singh’s arrest was made on the basis of complaint filed by Subal KumarManna, TMC leader and the present chairman of the Contai municipality,sources said.
The BJP promptly called the police action against the Adhikari family a ploy to neutralise the central agencies from pursuing the coal andcattle smuggling cases where TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira Banerjee Narula had been repeatedly questioned by the central agencies. Abhishek a TMC MP is also the nephew and probable successor of the Chief Minister.
Suvendu who was in Kolkata immediately alleged “vendetta politics” by the Mamata Banerjee Government saying there was no point using threats to him. “This is a kind of threat by the TMC but they must know that Iam made of a different mettle … they are welcomed to do whatever they can. They have arrested a poor and innocent man and are using him as a pawn … We will prove our case in the court,” Adhikari who on Tuesday met Governor with a picture of Mother Kaali to register his protest against the offensive remarks made by Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra about the Goddess.
Adhikari led a group of about 200 seers to the Raj Bhavan where he complained against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not taking any action against Moitra who had made “offensive” statements against the Goddess. The Opposition Leader had on Monday taken out a huge rally at Krishnagar from where Moitra is an MP.
Soon after meeting Adhikari the Governor attacked the TMC Government for taking recourse to appeasement politics. He said, “Although certain comments were made about Goddess Kali recently, there was no attempt to restrain those comments. This is because appeasementpolitics is going on in West Bengal.