Birbhum district Trinamul Congress president Anubata Mondal, behind bars in connection with cattle smuggling case after being arrested by the CBI, today claimed the upcoming panchayat polls would be a “resounding success” for the Trinamul Congress and in the same vein asked his partymen in the district to work aggressively to that end.
Mondal, now lodged in Asansol correctional home after being remanded to judicial custody by the special CBI court in cattle smuggling case, told this to newspersons on being quizzed about his thoughts on the upcoming panchayat polls while being taken to Bidhannagar MP-MLA court at Mayukh Bhawan for a hearing on his alleged complicity in an explosion case at Mangalkot.
Mondal’s assertion today assumed significance since he continues to call the shots and wield immense clout among the party leadership in the district. He continues to be the president of the party’s Birbhum district unit despite being in custody and also won a vote of confidence from none other than the chief minister and party chairperson Mamata Banerjee, who had dubbed him as a “helpful leader” recently.
The Opposition, up in arms against the Trinamul Congress Birbhum strongman, however, snapped at his comments as Rahul Sinha, the state BJP leader said that Mondal, who is now facing jail terms, sparing a thought over panchayat polls because he is not in position to get a share of graft that he was used to have all these years. In fear of being a loser of the said booty, he made these comments.
Sujan Chakaborty, the CPM central committee member, said that since Mondal had the chief minister’s blessings on him, he continued to wield influence.
Meanwhile, the CBI continues to confiscate incriminating documents allegedly from relatives and aides close to him.
In a marathon raid and interrogation yesterday in Bolpur, the central agency quizzed several aides, including a councilor and his CA Manish Kothari and had allegedly recovered seven dossiers of lands from his residence and office.