Kolkata, Apr 25 (IANS): As Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mandal continues to avoid facing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on various cases, like cattle & coal smuggling and post-poll violence in West Bengal, a fresh controversy has started following an apprehension expressed by a senior BJP leader of "possible assassination of Mandal".
BJP's national vice president and the party MP, Dilip Ghosh, said on Monday morning that Mandal should not avoid facing CBI. "Custody will be comparatively safer for him. If he continues to stay outside, he might be poisoned. He is privy to all the information regarding who all have benefitted in the Trinamool Congress from the scams. He cannot avoid the CBI for an indefinite period. So, it is better that he faces CBI now," Ghosh said.
Mandal has avoided seven summons from the CBI -- six of which are pertaining to cattle & coal smuggling cases and one is related to post-poll violence in the state.
On April 6, he got admitted to the state-run SSKM Medical College & Hospital, where he spent 17 days. On April 22, he came back to his Kolkata residence from hospital. In the last two days he received two summons for appearance at the CBI office. But, he avoided both the summons on health grounds.
Meanwhile, Ghosh's apprehension has evoked strong reactions from Trinamool Congress. The state vice president of Trinamool Congress, Jaiprakash Majumdar said that if Ghosh has so much classified information, then the CBI should first question him. "Ghosh should on his part reveal to the CBI whatever he knows in this matter.
Incidentally, Mandal's consecutive attempts to avoid facing the CBI have also evoked negative reactions from within Trinamool Congress as well.
Early this month, Trinamool state general secretary and party spokesman, Kunal Ghosh said that in the past he too had faced several summons from various probe agencies. "But I had never avoided them. Rather I reached the office of the probe agency concerned at least five minutes before the scheduled time. Even the party's national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee too has not avoided facing the central agencies," Ghosh said.