- A day after summoning BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal government on Sunday called his driver Sambhu Maity and his close aid Sanjeev Shukla regarding Subhabrata Chakraborty death case.
- The summoning of Adhikari comes days after the Enforcement Directorate ordered Mamata’s nephew and his wife in an accused money laundering case.
- With the approaching by-polls, Mamata is now desperately using her government machinery to keep a check on Suvendu.
A day after summoning BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal government on Sunday called his driver Sambhu Maity and his close aid Sanjeev Shukla for interrogating regarding a case related to the unnatural death of Adhikari‘s security guard Subhabrata Chakraborty three years ago.
The Mamata Strategy
After Chakraborty’s wife filed a complaint seeking a probe, the CID set up a team to investigate Subhabrata Chakraborty’s death. Earlier in June, a four-member team of CID visited Adhikari’s home in East Medinipur. In the investigation at least 15 people, including some police personnel, were questioned.
Interestingly, the summoning of Adhikari comes days after the Enforcement Directorate ordered Trinamool Congress general secretary and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, and his wife Rujira Banerjee, in an accused money laundering case.
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At that time, Suvendu Adhikari was the Transport Minister of West Bengal under the Trinamool Congress government. Post, Adhikari was accused of instigating Chakraborty to commit suicide.
Suvendu recently joined BJP ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections and defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from her home ground, Nandigram. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress swept the Assembly elections with a landslide victory winning 213 seats, thus Mamata Banerjee returned as the Chief Minister for the third term.
Mamata Banerjee also got engaged in a legal battle challenging the Nandigram poll result, in which Suvendu won by a margin of 1,737 votes. Mamata is now eyeing to be re-elected from Bhawanipur via by-polls.
The Election Commission of India (EC) on Saturday announced that it will hold a by-poll at Bhawanipur on 30 September, upon the special request of the state government. Thus, paving the way for Mamata Banerjee to retain the post of Chief Minister.
The Bengal government has insisted for the by-polls to be held, stating that the pandemic is under control in West Bengal and elections should be conducted. The government’s pushing for the by-polls has been criticized by the BJP; last month state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh asked Mamata why she was “in such a hurry”. However, by-polls in 31 other constituencies in Maharashtra, Telangana and a few northeastern states have been delayed in light of the Covid situation.
With the approaching by-polls, Mamata is now desperately using her government machinery to keep a check on Suvendu. Seems like Mamata is still not able to digest her defeat to her former protégé-turned- BJP leader, Adhikari.