Left MP ‘caught’ buying votes

Dom,who represents Bolpur constituency in Parliament,was rescued by the police,which had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the angry crowd. Villagers pelted stones at the police team as the MP was whisked away.

While SP of Birbhum,Nishat Parvez,said they have not yet received any evidence pointing to the allegations that the MP was distributing money to buy votes,Trinamool has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission as well as the local district magistrate. “The MP had gone to a party worker’s house in the village for recruiting polling agent. After he came out of the house,some of Trinamool workers gheraoed him and accused him of distributing money,” said the SP and added that police are probing into the matter.

According to the Trinamool district president,Anupbrata Mondal,the MP reached Charicha village in Santhia at 9 am and gave Rs 500 to a farmer and Rs 1,000 to another . “Since,we have a strong organisation in the village,local Trinamool workers noticed it and caught him red handed. Dom was carrying a bag of Rs 20 lakh. However after police reached the spot,he was rescued very tactfully by the senior police officers,” Mondal added.

The CPM,however,rubbished the Trinamool’s version of the incident and termed it as a “nasty incident” orchestrated by the Opposition to maligh the party ahead of second phase of voting.

Denied all the charges of buying the voters,Dom said: “I had gone to the house of party worker for some political work,but a group of people gheraoed me and abused me with fictitious charge. I have lodged a complaint with the local police station and sent a copy to the Election Observer.”

In Kolkata,Left Front chairman Biman Bose also defended his party MP. Terming it as a pre-planned conspiracy,Bose said Dom was innocent.

But Opposition Trinamool,which is facing allegations of using black money for campaigning as levelled by the CPM,upped its ante. At a rally in Canning in South 24-Parganas district,Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee narrated the incident and said: “From Bolpur to Nanoor and from Nanoor to Keshpur,everywhere you will find CPM distributing money to lure and purchase voters as the party is scared of facing a poll debacle.”

Leader of Opposition in Assembly,Partha Chatterjee,demanded immediate arrest of Dom. “The MP should be arrested as it is a case of gross violation of Model Code of Conduct. How can he visit and influence voters just 24 hours before the voting is scheduled to take place there?” Chatterjee asked.

The party claimed that it has “enough evidence” to prove the allegations,and would make them public very soon.

Trace source of Trinamool’s black money: CPM tells EC

Kolkata: Left Front chairperson and CPM state secretary Biman Bose today lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India alleging the use of black money by the All India Trinamool Congress in the Assembly polls.

In a letter,the copy of which was forwarded today to the office of Chief Electoral Officer,West Bengal, Bose has alleged a Trinamool functionary — Debapriya De Sarkar — has purchased five demand drafts worth

Rs 1.23 crore from a Kolkata-based

nationalised bank by depositing cash in favour of Visual Audio,Garia. Bose has alleged that De Sarkar is close to AITC general secretary Mukul Roy. Bose said that in all-party meeting convened by the EC,it was said any transaction over Rs 1 lakh would be traced by relevant financial authorities.

He also urged the EC to investigate into

the source of black money and take

necessary steps.

Gautam earned Rs 200 cr by selling plots: Trinamool MP

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress leader and MP Kalyan Banerjee today demanded the arrest of Bengal Housing Minister Gautam Deb for allegedly “realising” Rs 200 crore by selling 600 plots in Rajarhat township adjacent to the metropolis,in violation of the Election Commission rules.

“All the rules of the EC have been violated by the minister,” Banerjee told a press conference countering Deb’s allegations the Trinamool had been spending black money to fund its election campaign.

Banerjee,flanked by Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Partha Chatterjee,demanded that Deb should be arrested.

He alleged that Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,state CPM secretary Biman Bose and Deb have been levelling ‘wild allegations’ against Trinamool Congress. “The Election Commission will take appropriate action if CPM allegations are not well substantiated,” he added.