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BJP writes to EC over purported audio clip of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
The BJP had released an audio clip, alleging that it was a conversation between Banerjee and TMC candidate from Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi where four villagers died in firing by central forces on April 10.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday sent a letter to the Election Commission of India demanding a detailed investigation into the purported conversation in an audio clip between Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee with a candidate of her party over the Sitalkuchi firing.
While HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio clip released by the BJP on Friday, the TMC had raised allegations of phone tapping against the centre, while questioning whether Banerjee said anything wrong.
“It is requested that the commission may examine the issue immediately and constitute a Special Investigation Team for carrying out a detailed investigation in this regard,” stated the letter sent to the poll panel by the BJP.
“Let them go anywhere with such fake audio and videotapes,” said Tapas Roy, TMC spokesperson.
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The BJP had released an audio clip, alleging that it was a conversation between Banerjee and Partha Pratim Roy, TMC’s candidate from Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi where four villagers died in firing by central forces on April 10.
“Let us assume it is authentic... Who recorded it? And what did she say that was wrong?” Derek O’Brien, TMC MP said soon after the tape was released.
The TMC and the BJP had been engaged in allegations and counter-allegations over the incident in which central forces opened fire allegedly in self-defence killing four persons on April 10 when elections were going on in the fourth phase.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier alleged from a rally that the incident was a part of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s master plan to rig polls, the TMC supremo had countered from a public meeting that the firing by central forces in Cooch Behar was a plan hatched by Union home minister Amit Shah and that PM Modi knew about it.
“The commission would examine the complaint,” said a poll panel official.
