Narada sting: CBI registers FIR against 12 TMC leaders; Mamata says ‘will fight it out politically’
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
Hours after the Central Bureau of Investigation registered an FIR against 12 Trinamool Congress leaders in connection with the Narada sting operation case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday insisted that politics were being played over the controversy and added that her party “will fight it out politically”. The TMC leader also asserted that merely filing FIR against her party leaders did not mean their guilt have been proved.
“Because they (CBI) have filed the FIR, does it mean their guilt is proved? Let them (the CBI) first prove the guilt. There is no cause for any worry,” she told reporters at the state secretariat.
Madan Mitra, Mukul Roy and Saugata Roy were among the 12 leaders against whom the FIR has been filed in connection to the sting operation, in which several senior leaders allegedly received money in return for favours. The Narada sting tapes were released to different news organisations before the 2016 Assembly polls in West Bengal.
Earlier this month, the CBI had questioned Narada News CEO Mathew Samuel regarding its probe into the sting operation. On March 17, the Calcutta High Court had directed the CBI to probe into the sting operation, ordering the agency to take possession of all material and devices related to the sting before concluding the preliminary inquiry in 72 hours.
Dismissing the case, Mamata had earlier described the controversy as an attempt to malign the TMC and accused the Centre of hatching a conspiracy to stop her party from emerging as a strong contender against the BJP in national politics.
With inputs from PTI
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