Mamata decries ED searches on WB Minister and summons to Gehlot’s son
The Hindu
Speaking to mediapersons at her residence at Kalighat after a gap of almost a month, Ms. Banerjee raised a host of issues
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday decried Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches on the properties of State’s Minister Jyotipriya Mullick and summons to Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, describing them as a “dirty political game” of the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP).
The ED conducted raids at eight properties of Mr. Mullick, the State’s Forest Minister. The searches were held in connection with alleged irregularities in ration distribution and the ongoing investigation into the school job scam.
In another development, the ED on Thursday issued summons to Vaibhav Gehlot in a foreign exchange violation case.
Calling the BJP leadership to fight its political opponents politically, Ms. Banerjee said, ”Ashok Gehlot is not from my party but why are you raiding his son’s house before elections? They want to raid everyone’s house before elections.”
She said Mr. Mullick is unwell and suffering from diabetes. “I will lodge an FIR against the ED and the BJP if anything happens to him during the raids,” the Trinamool Congress chairperson said.
The Chief Minister said that the ruling BJP government should not be guided by vindictive agenda .“If they raid the house of every Minister.. then what is left of the [State] government?” She said she will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that cooperative federalism is not destroyed.
The Chief Minister also referred to searches on the premises of Ministers Firhad Hakim and Rathin Ghosh just ahead of Durga Puja.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”