BJP's Suvendu seeks legal action against Mamata for 'interfering' in ED's job, party hits out at CM
Kolkata (PTI): The Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday demanded strong legal action against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly interfering in the job of the ED which is probing a money laundering case by a coal smuggling syndicate of the state.
Banerjee dramatically turned up at the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain and later at the main office of the TMC's poll advisor amid an ongoing ED search, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize the party's internal documents, hard disks and sensitive digital data linked to its strategy for the upcoming elections.
Responding to her statements made at those locations during search operations by the Enforcement Directorate, the BJP said that attempts to politicise a lawful investigative process or to undermine constitutional authorities only weakens public trust in institutions and the rule of law.
The party's state unit president Samik Bhattacharya alleged that her action of storming a premises being searched put a stamp of approval on the perception that the "TMC is steeped in corruption and indulges in criminal activities, that a significant section of its leaders, nay the whole system, is involved in the coal scam and hawala transactions".
Banerjee was seen coming out with paper documents, hard disks and a laptop from Jain's residence when the agency search operations were taking place. Officials were also seen transferring documents in the CM's vehicle during the raids at the I-PAC office in Salt Lake.
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"I am not privy to the investigation details that prompted the ongoing ED raids. But I can tell you this is not the first time that Mamata Banerjee has made direct interference in the job of a central investigating agency. She has done that before at the CBI office at Nizam Palace and during the agency's raids at the former Kolkata CP Rajeev Kumar's residence. She has made this practice, which is both illegal and unconstitutional, into a habit," Adhikari said.
He urged the law enforcement agencies to take strong legal action against the chief minister, saying that else it would set a wrong precedent and give out the wrong message to the people of the state.
In May 2021, Banerjee held a sit-in before the CBI office at Nizam Palace, protesting the arrest of two TMC ministers Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim and MLA Madan Mitra along with ex-Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee, after the four were arrested by the agency in connection with the alleged scam exposed by an online sting operation of Narada news outlet.
The TMC supremo, in February 2019, went on an indefinite sit-in at Esplanade area in central Kolkata, after CBI officials tried to enter the Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar's official residence to allegedly question him in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam.
The operation had met with an unprecedented confrontation between the CBI officers and the Kolkata Police, with the latter rounding up eight agency officials and forcibly removing them to the nearby Shakespeare Sarani police station.
Adding to Adhikari's statements, the BJP state president maintained that the chief minister's actions have inserted the proverbial last nail in the coffin of her public image.
"A chief minister of a state who took vows of the Constitution before assuming office, directly interfered in a criminal investigation process of a government investigating agency. This is not only illegal, it is an attempt to shield criminals and an act of tampering with evidence.
"Her forceful whisking away with files and hard disks has established in people's mind the complicity of the Trinamool Congress with such criminal activities," Bhattacharya said.
The BJP Bengal unit based its statement on information officially put out by the ED.
"According to the ED, the searches are evidence-based and are being carried out in connection with the illegal coal smuggling case... As per the agency, the premises being covered are linked to the generation of illegal cash, hawala transactions, and other proceeds of crime arising from the said case," the statement said.
The ED has further clarified that no office of a political party has been searched as part of this action, it said.
"The agency also stated that the searches have no linkage with any election and are part of its routine and continuing crackdown on money laundering," the BJP statement said.
The party stated that law enforcement agencies must be allowed to function independently, professionally, and without political interference.
"The law must be permitted to take its own course, guided solely by facts and evidence," it said.
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It was meant to be: Young India spinner Vaishnavi on cricket career
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New Delhi (PTI): It was written in the stars, or so believed her father.
Long before Vaishnavi Sharma picked up a cricket ball, she says her future as a sportsperson was known to her astrologer father, Narendra Sharma. The 20-year-old left-arm spinner from Gwalior made her India debut in the T20 International format just last year in a home series against Sri Lanka.
"When I was four years old, my journey in sports began. As you all know, my father is an astrologer. He looked at my horoscope and said that I should either go into sports or into the medical field," Vaishnavi told 'PTI Videos'.
"After that, it was a question of where my own interest was. After some time, he understood that my interest was in sports. When I was seven, I started playing more seriously, like going for evening practice sessions.
"And when I was 11–12 years old, I played my first Under-16 match for Madhya Pradesh. It wasn't under the BCCI then, but that’s where my journey really started," she recalled.
In the five-match series against Sri Lanka, she finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker for India with five scalps. The youngster says she has been certain about cricket from the very first day.
"When I started cricket, this was always my goal. I never focused on any other goal. Whenever I go to the ground, I just forget everything else, because the feeling I get after playing cricket, I don't get it from anything else," she said.
"I can't sit idle at home. Even if I'm doing my favourite things, when I have that love for cricket, I don't think about anything else," she added.
Her journey, however, hasn't been without disappointment. Vaishnavi admitted she had hoped to be picked by a franchise during the Women's Premier League auction before the Sri Lanka call-up but when it did not happen, she felt disappointed.
However, she ensured that it didn't affect her performance at a domestic age-group event.
"Of course, it feels very bad when you have expectations. I had them too, and I felt really bad. But I was playing a tournament at that time, so my whole focus was on my team. Under-23 was a big stage for me, so I kept my focus only on that," she said.
"Then I thought that I can only do what is in my hands and leave the rest to God. And when I left it to God, He gave me something even better."
Instead of dwelling on the setback, Vaishnavi focussed herself on domestic cricket, determined to control what she could.
"I never showed that disappointment on the field. I was sad in my room, I spoke to my family. My friends, parents, brother and seniors all called me.
"Yes, I was a little sad, but I never let that come onto the ground. I focused on what I had in my hands, and at that time, it was Under-23 cricket for Madhya Pradesh," she said.
A few weeks later, her perseverance paid off with a maiden India call-up and she said walking into a dressing room filled with World Cup winners was an emotional moment.
"I was very nervous. I was thinking, what will their reaction be, what will they say, how will I start the conversation? But when I reached there, everyone welcomed me warmly, spoke to me and made me feel very comfortable. I bonded really well with them," she said.
Despite now being teammates, Vaishnavi admits to being a fan of captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
"I will always have those butterflies that I am going to meet Harman di. They are big stars. I used to watch them on television and now I am playing with them. So the butterflies and excitement will always be there," she smiled.
Vaishnavi says she idolises Harmanpreet’s fighting spirit, while Smriti Mandhana inspires her approach to the game.
"Smriti di and Harman di are my role models. I once saw an interview of Smriti di where she said that even if she contributes for the team, she celebrates that day and then starts again from zero the next morning. From Harman di, I've learnt the never-give-up attitude," she said.
"The best thing about her is that whenever she gives me the ball, she says, 'Go and bowl freely, bowl your best and make the batter dance.' The whole team is very sweet."
On the bowling front, Vaishnavi draws inspiration from Ravindra Jadeja and Radha Yadav for their accuracy and control.
