West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose dismissed TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee’s claims of arms distribution from Raj Bhavan as baseless, opening the premises to the public and daring the MP to prove his allegations or face legal consequences.
Governor Bose refutes allegations, issues ultimatum
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday dismissed Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee’s allegations of arms distribution from Raj Bhavan, calling it a baseless claim. In a scathing response, Bose dared Banerjee to verify his claims, “Searching for arms and ammunition in the Raj Bhavan is like a blind man searching in the dark a black cat that is not there,” Governor Bose told ANI.
The Governor opened Raj Bhavan to the public, inviting scrutiny and transparency. “From 5 am onwards today, people, civil society members, and media are coming in to see whether there is any arms and ammunition in the Raj Bhavan,” he said.
Bose questioned Banerjee’s intentions, asking if the TMC MP was expressing a lack of confidence in the state police force or revealing internal party politics. He emphasised the serious implications of such allegations, stating that they undermine the credibility of the Kolkata Police. “There are serious implications of these allegations…When a ruling party MP says that arms and ammunitions are available inside the Raj Bhavan, is he expressing his lack of confidence in the Police force of the state? Does it show any kind of inner party politics? To say that arms and ammunitions have been smuggled into the Raj Bhavan is to say that the Kolkata Police is conniving with that…,” Governor Bose told ANI.
The Governor has given Banerjee an ultimatum: apologise to the people of Bengal or face legal consequences. “He has to make amends; he has the option to either apologise to the people of Bengal or there are legal options that can be taken against him,” Bose said.
TMC MP’s ‘arms distribution’ claim
Earlier on Saturday, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee had alleged that Governor Bose is “entertaining BJP criminals in Raj Bhavan” and giving them weapons to attack TMC workers in the state. “Tell the Bengal Governor not to entertain BJP criminals in Raj Bhavan. He is keeping them there and giving them arms and ammunition to go and attack TMC workers. As long as such a governor is in office, nothing good will happen in Bengal,” Banerjee said while at an event in Hooghly, Seelampur.
Sex workers urge inclusion in voter list amid SIR process
Meanwhile, amid the ongoing controversial SIR, which has been opposed by the TMC, sex workers in Kolkata’s Sonagachi area are urging the government to include their names in the voter list as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process begins in Bengal. Many sex workers fear being left out due to a lack of documentation, with some having no connection with their parents or original homes.
According to the Daily Bulletin issued at 3 PM today, the ECI confirmed that 48,67,37,064 SIR forms have been successfully delivered to electors out of the 50,97,43,173 printed, covering regions – Andaman and Nicobar, Chattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. (ANI)
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