Trinamool Head of Congress and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently ordered some investigations and audits into allegations of corruption or that may lead to it and has asked top bureaucrats to address all complaints that have reached your office immediately.
While she has already ordered an investigation into allegations of corruption in the purchase of medical equipment to combat the Covid-19 pandemic in the state, she is also upset to see the embankments collapse within three months of the repair and has asked senior officials to investigate.
At a management meeting earlier this week, Banerjee told the chief secretary to address all complaints that reached the CMO immediately. Officials said corruption allegations, such as that related to the purchase of medical equipment, often reach the CMO. A senior official said the government is considering a third-party audit after allegations of corruption surfaced in the state department of panchayat.
“The party has already faced several complaints of corruption and these are seriously affecting its image. The elections are approaching. The party will not be able to accept further accusations at this stage, particularly when the BJP is looking for an opportunity, ”said a senior TMC leader.
With Bengal heading into a crucial assembly elections, which is expected to be a highly polarized political battle between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, political analysts say the supreme TMC aims to nip the controversies related to the corruption before the opposition uses it as a tool against the ruling party.
“This appears to be a course correction campaign by the ruling party in which it has taken a ‘point it out first’ approach so as not to leave the opposition with any opportunity to raise allegations of corruption. If the opposition finally raises it, the ruling party would say that we have already ordered an investigation. This would help him stay ahead, ”said Udayan Bandyopadhyay, political analyst and professor of political science at Bangabasi College in Kolkata.
The TMC had received a jolt in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when its tally fell from 34 seats to 22, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tally rose from two to 18 and senior leaders said the TMC wants to bounce back. of losses.
While Mamata Banerjee’s nine-year government has been plagued by major scams like Saradha, Narada, and Rose Valley, the central investigative agencies investigating these scams have already stepped up their activities. The Directorate of Enforcement has sent notices to five TMC leaders and summoned a suspended Indian Police Service officer in connection with the 2016 Narada sting operation case.
Since May of this year, the TMC has already been on the defensive at least twice. Some party leaders had to be expelled and others were slapped with notices of apparent cause after it was discovered that they were involved in corruption in the distribution of aid materials after Cyclone Amphan.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had also made allegations of corruption in the public distribution system and raised demands for a CBI investigation.
“It is not because of the elections. The party does not tolerate corruption. Actions have also been taken against corrupt leaders in the past. It is our duty and also ethical to investigate any accusation that comes to us, be it against party officials or leaders. Mamata Banerjee has made it very clear that she will not allow any corrupt leader to enter the party and no one is indispensable, ”said Tapas Roy, minister and spokesperson for TMC.
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However, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, whose bitter relationship with the ruling party has often made headlines and the BJP, mocked the ruling party.
When the prime minister formed a panel headed by the home secretary to investigate allegations of corruption in the purchase of medical equipment to fight Covid-19, Dhankhar had said it was an attempt to cover up the truth.
“Purchase pandemic scam of various currencies crore @MamataOfficial. Cover up the credibility of the probe. Decision makers (-one) investigating to protect #MAP guilt. Post facto saving mechanism! Independent Probe can only confirm guilt. I need Probe to trace the money and ill-gotten gains, ”Dhankhar tweeted.
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The BJP also lashed out at the TMC saying that the ruling party will not be able to hide behind such investigations and that a change in 2021 is inevitable. They call these probes just an eye wash so opposition charges can be softened.
“TMC is synonymous with corruption and people have realized this. They are afraid, and therefore new dramas occur to them every day. But they will not be able to hide behind such surveys and audits. They have been unmasked and a change is inevitable, ”said Sayantan Basu, BJP secretary general of state.
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