Tit-fot-tat: TMC questions Buddhadeb's honesty

In the wake of senior Communist Party of India – Marxist leader and former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee questioning the honesty of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her party Trinamool Congress on Monday sought to know the details of the patronage extended to his daughter in running an activity related to forests and environment.

"Bhattacharjee is being touted as a symbol of honesty by the CPI-M and others. We want to know who had showered blessings on his daughter in running a forests and environment related activity. Who were behind it," asked secretary-general of Trinamool Congress and state Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee.

Attacking CPI-M, Chatterjee said it should come up with details of movable and immovable properties of its party leaders and the quantum of cash possessed by them.

He said during Bhattacharjee's tenure, representatives from chambers of commerce were forced to visit CPI-M's headquarters at Alimuddin Street in the city for land allotments.

"CPI-M is very adept in doing these things. What cheek do they have in labelling others corrupt," he asked.

Asked to comment on Bhattacharjee's allegation on Sunday that TMC workers were engaged in extortion activity, he said, "CPI-M is a bigger extortionist".

CPI-M, he said, had been traditionally accustomed to character assassinations of their opponents.

"They have not spared people like former chief minister Prafulla Sen, late prime minister Indira Gandhi and now our chief minister Mamata Banerjee," he said.

 Chatterjee said CPI-M was showing signs of unrest after being thrown out of power by the people and it was "in a hurry to come back".

"Actually, they (CPI-M) are surprised to see the developmental agenda taken up by the chief minister in West Bengal," he said.