Coming down heavily on the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said she did not believe that the four leaders, who are in jail custody, are involved in corruption.

She was addressing party’s leaders and rank and file at Netaji Indoor Stadium, this afternoon. The Trinamul Congress leaders, who are spending time behind bars, are Partha Chatterjee, Anubrata Mondol, Manick Bhattacharya and Jyotipriya Mullick. “They had all worked with me during the stormy days and I cannot forget their contribution,” she said. She added that Bakshi da (Subrata Bakshi), Balu (Jyotipriya Mallick) have taken blows on their bodies. They have taken blows along with me.

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I do not think they are corrupt. They also plan to throw out Mahua (Maitra) from the Parliament.” Miss Banerjee said, “If the ED has arrested four of my leaders to socially malign them, I will get 8 BJP leaders arrested on various charges.” Challenging the ED, she said, “Why haven’t you submitted the seizure list. The leaders have been socially maligned at the behest of BJP. If the private vernacular television channels do not follow their instructions, rest assured the ED or CBI would be sent to the houses of their owners.

They have forced the owners to rally behind them by coercing them,” she maintained. Miss Banerjee said it surprises her that leaders of the most corrupt political party are spared. “If you see the vernacular channels, you will find as if corruption exists only in Bengal and in the BJP ruled states every one is a sadhu (saint),”.

She said the media did not show the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh or the rail accidents that are taking place in different parts of the country. “Why did the media not raise any question regarding the Vyapam scam or the railway accidents? The press is silent on these matters. As the railway minister, I had urged to instal accident collision devices in trains.

But they have not been installed. They have instead hiked railway fares. They take away people’s self-esteem.”