The political slugfest in West Bengal intensified on Tuesday after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought time from the Supreme Court to examine the affidavit filed by the state government in connection with the alleged “Green File”.
Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of making contradictory statements and misleading the public as well as the court. Addressing the Press, Mr Adhikari alleged that the Chief Minister had “consistently lied” and had now “trapped herself” through her own statements. He pointed out an apparent inconsistency between Ms Banerjee’s affidavit and her public remarks made on 8 January, the day the ED conducted searches at the IPAC office in Kolkata.
According to Mr Adhikari, the Chief Minister stated in the affidavit that she had taken certain documents after speaking to ED officers. However, he recalled that on the day of the raid, Ms Banerjee had emerged from the IPAC office claiming in a triumphant tone that she had taken away all the documents and had not allowed the agency to seize them. “At no point that day did she mention taking permission to collect documents,” he said, describing the act as a “self-declaration”. “The version in the affidavit does not match the statement she made before the media. Anyone, even a child, can understand where the falsehood lies if both are placed side by side,” Mr Adhikari claimed.