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TMC delegation to meet President today, seek removal of Solicitor General
Party MPs had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking Mehta’s removal over his alleged meeting with BJP legislator Suvendu Adhikari which they said was in violation of established norms
A delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders is likely to meet President Ram Nath Kovind this afternoon seeking removal of Tushar Mehtra as the Solicitor General (SG) of India, days after writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi making the same demand.
“A TMC delegation comprising MPs would directly approach the President and apprise him of the meeting between SG Tushar Mehta and the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly [Suvendu Adhikari],” a TMC leader said, adding that the President has given his consent and the delegation would meet him around 2.30pm.
Party MPs had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking Mehta’s removal over his alleged meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Suvendu Adhikari which they said was in violation of established norms.
The letter, signed by party MPs Derek O’Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Mahua Moitra, said the alleged meeting between Adhikari and Mehta “reeks of impropriety”.
Adhikari is an accused in the 2016 Narada sting operation case, and Mehta -- the Union government’s second highest law officer -- is representing the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Supreme Court and Calcutta high court in the agency’s probe against senior TMC leaders in the case.
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Both Mehta and Adhikari have denied the meeting took place. Mehta said on Friday that Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, came to his residence-cum-office in Delhi at 3pm on Thursday, but left without meeting the SG as the latter was tied up in previous engagements and expressed his inability to meet the Nandigram MLA.
The TMC, however, raised doubts, alleging that Adhikari was at Mehta’s residence for around 30 minutes. “Narada accused enters home of SG (who is also Special PP, CBI in Narada case) in vehicle, is checked & waved inside by security guards & exits after 30 mins. They say nothing happened. Yeah, right,” TMC MP Mahua Moitra tweeted on Saturday.
On its part, the BJP has backed Adhikari and blamed the state government of seeking resignations. BJP state unit chief Dilip Ghosh had said to mediapersons, “The TMC is engaged in politics of removal. Earlier, they wanted the state Governor removed. Now, they want the SG to be removed. Mamata Banerjee has lost the elections [she was defeated from Nandigram by Adhikari though TMC won the polls] but has become the chief minister through the backdoor. We are seeking her removal.”
