Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 9 : TMC leader Madan Mitra on Tuesday defended party supremo Mamata Banerjee over the CID's arrival at her residence and said that she "isn't the type to run away."
Speaking with ANI outside Banerjee's residence, Mitra expressed criticism and disappointment over the CID's arrival and said that the party members are cooperating with the police amid the "investigation."
"This is very unfortunate. Mamata Banerjee isn't the type to run away. The police stated that an investigation is underway and warned that if we entered, it would amount to non-cooperation. So, we are cooperating," he said.
On the other hand, BJP MP Manoj Tigga accused Banerjee of committing wrongdoings in her tenure as the West Bengal Chief Minister, recognising the CID arrival as a consequence of the malpractices done by TMC. He further affirmed that those who acted unlawfully will "certainly face arrest."
"The former Chief Minister has been the focal point of all the malpractices that have occurred over the last fifteen years, be it major scams, the education scam, or any of the recruitment drives. That is why the CID has gone there. No one is above the law. Whoever has committed a legal wrongdoing, if they have acted unlawfully, will certainly face arrest," he said.
This comes after team from the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday reached the residence of Trinamool Congress supremo and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata.
Mamata Banerjee, who yesterday attended the INDIA bloc meeting, is in the national capital and met with Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her residence at 10 Janpath in New Delhi this evening.
Notably, a CID team also visited the residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee last week in connection with the alleged signature forgery case.
The state CID has constituted a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged forgery of signatures of Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators.
Abhishek Banerjee has been asked to present the party's original resolution copy sent to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker over the appointment of party office bearers, officials said.
On May 20, Abhishek Banerjee submitted a copy of the meeting resolution book with an attendance sheet containing the signatures of the members present in the concerned meeting, which mentioned that 70 MLAs were present at the meeting held on May 6.
On May 27, two AITC MLAs filed a complaint before the Speaker alleging that no resolution had been adopted regarding the LoP selection on May 6 and that they had only signed the meeting resolution book on May 19.
The complainants also alleged that the resolution dated May 6 was "manufactured and fabricated," with as many as 14 signatures appearing in block letters. The Trinamool Congress later suspended the two MLAs - Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha for anti-party activities.
Based on a complaint by the Principal Secretary of the Assembly, police registered a case on May 27 under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. CID took over the investigation on May 28.