Kolkata, Apr 28 (IANS): The Trinamool Congress leadership seems to be adopting a cautious stand over the arrest of Sukanya Mondal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with cattle-smuggling scam in West Bengal.

Instead of launching a scathing attack against the probe agency, the party leadership is playing the 'sympathy' card in the matter.

Commenting on the developments, Trinamool spokesman Kunal Ghosh said that on humanitarian ground, the central agency could have considered continuing with its investigation without taking Sukanya Mondal into custody, given that she lost her mother some time back while her father Anubrata Mondal is already in judicial custody in connection with the cattle-smuggling scam.

Echoing Ghosh's views, state minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that being the father of a daughter, he can feel what Sukanya Mondal is going through now.

"It is extremely unfortunate that even the next generation in the family is becoming victims of political vendetta. As it is Sukanya was quite depressed over her mother's demise. After that her father got arrested. As a father, I can imagine what she is going through now," Hakim said.

Incidentally, while playing the sympathy card, both Ghosh and Hakim subtly referred to vendetta politics.

Trinamool's Birbhum district vice-president Malay Mukhopadhyay, meanwhile, claimed that despite going into depression following her mother's demise and her father's arrest that followed, Sukanya Mondal has always cooperated with the probe agencies.

"But despite that she has been arrested. This is not a humanitarian approach," he said.

Meanwhile, Anubrata Mondal's elder brother Subrata Mondal sounded reluctant while commenting on his niece's arrest.

"We have no connection with her. After the demise of her mother, I had tried to contact her. But she reacted in such a weird manner that I moved on. Since then I have been maintaining a distance with her," he said.