A day after an audio recording of Mamata Banerjee’s conversation with a TMC had emerged, the party has admitted that the recording is genuine. Today the Trinamool Congress wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, alleging that BJP illegally recorded the call of the chief minister.
The letter signed by TMC leaders Yashwant Sinha, Derek O’Brian and Purnendu Basu says that BJP leaders Amit Malviya and Locket Chatterjee had held a press conference on 16th April, where the call recording was released and played. The TMC letter says that BJP illegally recorded the phone call of the CM with TMC worker Partha Pratim Ray, and played the recording out of context.
“The entre exercise by BJP is an illegal act and is a direct assault on legal rights, including the Right to Privacyof Smt. Mamata Banerjee and Partha Pratim Ray”, TMC says. The party claims that the act of recording the call violates the Constitution of India, Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, Information Technology Act, 2000, Indian Penal Code, 1860. However, the party didn’t mention which schedules or sections of the constitution and the mentioned laws are violated by BJP.
TMC said that as the audiotape was released during the elections, they are requesting the election commission to enquire into the matter and take necessary actions on it.
Interestingly, by alleging that BJP has ‘illegally’ recorded the phone call of CM Mamata Banerjee and released the same, TMC has admitted that the audio is genuine, and Mamata Banerjee did made the comments heard in the audio.
Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee had also said that she will find out about everyone involved in tapping her phone and order a CBI probe.
The audio came to light yesterday, where the CM was heard talking to TMC leader Partha Pratim Ray on the death of four TMC workers in firing by CISF during the 4th phase of polling in the state. In the said clip, Mamata Banerjee could be heard threatening to jail central armed forces for gunning down four miscreants from the TMC, who had tried to snatch their weapons. Banerjee was heard telling Roy to organise a political rally with the dead bodies in a bid to stir public sympathy and secure votes amidst the ongoing polls.
“Partha, cast your vote first and then we will sit and decide. I will get everyone arrested, including CRPF. Keep all the dead bodies. We will take out a rally with the corpses. Tomorrow, there will be a rally with the dead bodies. Tell their families that the dead bodies can’t be handed over to them. Everything will be fine. Cast your vote and keep calm. They are doing this so that you cannot cast your vote,” Mamata Banerjee said.
She then inquired about the political affiliation of those who were shot by the CRPF. On learning that the deceased are workers of her own party, Mamata Banerjee advised Partha Pratim Roy to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) with the help of lawyers. “File an FIR. Hire a lawyer and don’t do it yourself. I will tell the family members to file FIR after the election. Even police won’t take any statement of the family members now,” she added.
The TMC supremo also instructed the party worker to create fear by saying that the central forces are trying to implement NPR and build detention camps in the state
