After the declaration of West Bengal Assembly election results, it was expected that the political dust storm would settle down. To the surprise of many, on May 17 morning, in a significant political development amidst high drama, West Bengal cabinet ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Madan Mitra and former Mayor Shovan Chatterjee were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with Narada sting operation case. All four were granted bail by the CBI Special Court the same evening after nearly seven hours of drama, confrontation and even brickbats with the security guards at the CBI office at Nizam Palace and TMC party workers and supporters. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spent much of the day at the CBI office in Kolkata challenging the arrest of her party leaders.
However, in a swift move, late that same evening, CBI challenged the bail granted by the CBI Special Court at the Calcutta High Court. Citing protests by TMC supporters outside its office, CBI sought a transfer of the trial outside West Bengal. The court decided that the leaders will be placed under judicial custody till the next hearing which will take place on May 19.
Earlier on May 17, Central forces had arrived at the leaders’ homes and had taken them to the CBI office. Within an hour, a furious Mamata Banerjee also landed at the CBI office in Nizam Palace and dared the investigating agency to arrest her too. “The way they have been arrested without due procedure, CBI will have to arrest me also,” the Bengal Chief Minister reportedly said during her extraordinary flash “dharna” at the CBI office which lasted for nearly six hours. TMC also charged that CBI did not take the permission of the Speaker of the Assembly before the arrest.
Nearly a dozen influential politicians and a senior police officer were caught accepting cash on tape by a journalist, masquerading as a businessman, in what has come to be known as the Narada sting operation. They all belonged to the TMC then and should have been investigated vigorously and booked without delay. Banerjee defended all of them steadfastly, while investigations into the case dragged for years. All the while, the tainted politicians flourished, getting re-elected as ministers and MLAs. All four who were arrested, were ministers in the previous Mamata Banerjee government and were seen allegedly receiving bribes in the Narada bribery tapes shot in 2014. However, it came as a surprise and rude shock to TMC supporters when the two persons who were also seen on the tape in Narada scam – Mukul Roy and Shubhendu Adhikari – both former TMC senior leaders but now in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were let off.
The selective arrests by the CBI do smell of political vendetta, as claimed by the opposition at the Centre and alleging that the “caged parrot” (CBI) is working in tune with the “orders given by their higher-ups”. Having lost the battle of the ballots, the BJP appears to have now launched a high-decibel campaign to smear Banerjee with whatever they can, the Opposition at the Centre is saying.
No one can deny that there was post-poll violence in West Bengal following the bitterly contested elections marked by unfathomable hostility in which many BJP supporters were killed. Post-poll events suggest that the BJP will not allow Banerjee any relaxed moment. Yes, she as an individual has lost the election, but her party TMC has performed even better than at the last elections. Political pundits believe that BJP, after swallowing this bitter pill, will keep the TMC engaged with CBI cases one after another. No wonder the Governor sanctioned the prosecution of TMC leaders within a week of Banerjee being sworn-in for the third consecutive term as Chief Minister.
