Man behind Narada sting operation questions why Suvendu Adhikari was not arrested
Kolkata, May 17: Senior journalist Mathew Samuel whose brainchild was the Narada sting operation, on Monday said he is satisfied after the CBI arrested two Trinamool Congress ministers, an MLA and a former party minister in connection with its probe into the scam.
Samuel, however, expressed surprise that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not arrest former TMC minister Suvendu Adhikari, another accused in the same case who has joined the BJP.
Senior ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim and former ministers Madan Mitra, who is now an MLA, and Sovan Chatterjee, were arrested in the morning. They secured bail later from a CBI court.
Samuel said that steps against corruption are needed and investigations should be fair.
The sting operation was conducted by Samuel of Narada News, a web portal, in 2014 wherein some people resembling TMC ministers, MPs and MLAs were seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of favours.
At that time, the four were ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government which also had initiated a probe against Samuel.
The operation was made public ahead of the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation in March 2017.
"It's quite satisfying to see these leaders arrested.
The CBI could not do anything even if it had the chargesheet ready three years ago. They could not touch them, Samuel said when PTI contacted him.
"But I feel bad that Suvendu Adhikaris name is not there on the list of those arrested, Samuel said.
When pointed out that the CBI also did not take any step against former TMC MP and now BJP MLA Mukul Roy, another accused in the case, Samuel said that his is a different matter as there is no video evidence against him.
The arrests were made after Governor Jagdeep Dhankar gave the CBI the go-ahead to prosecute the four leaders.
West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee dubbed the arrests as illegal, contending that the governor's sanction to prosecute them was unlawful.
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Police register case against groom over "Make Modi PM" quote in wedding invitation
Uppinangady: A controversy has erupted as Uppinangady police registered a case against a groom for including a quote advocating for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his wedding invitation. The complaint was filed by officials of the Election Code of Conduct Enforcement Monitoring Team.
The wedding of Sivaprasad alias Ravi from Alanthaya village, Kadaba taluk, and Pramila, daughter of Kolombe Babu Gowda from Haleneranki village, Kadaba taluk, took place on April 18 at Golitottu Siddhi Vinayaka Kala Mandir. The invitation letter, printed on March 1, contained the contentious quote: "This time again, making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister is the gift to the bride and groom. Because our future India must be secure."
Upon learning of this, officials from the Election Code of Conduct Enforcement Monitoring Team visited the groom's house on April 14 for an inquiry. Sivaprasad stated that he had printed 800 invitation letters on March 1, with all but ten already distributed. He further said that the printing and distributing of the invitation took place efore the Election Code of Conduct came into force and hence he iudid not violate any regulations. He clarified that the statement was made out of admiration for Prime Minister Modi and concern for the nation, with no intent to breach the law. Consequently, he provided a written statement requesting no legal action be taken.
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However, following the wedding on April 18 and the subsequent election on April 26, the officials lodged a complaint with the police department, leading to the registration of a case by the Uppinangady police. The owners of the company responsible for printing the invitation letter were summoned for interrogation.
When questioned by the media, Sivaprasad expressed confidence over the case, asserting that expressing patriotism and advocating for a capable leader like Narendra Modi should not constitute a crime. He indicated that neither he nor his wife felt guilty and speculated about the motivations behind the complaint.
