Modi 'exploring legal options' to ensure money seized by ED from 'corrupt' reaches poor

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that he would ensure that money looted from the poor is returned to them in the form of assets and money that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized from the corrupted.

He said this in a telephonic conversation with BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Krishnanagar, Rajmata Amrita Roy on Wednesday. He also called Basirhat candidate Rekha Patra, whom he called Shakti Swaropa. Patra was a key figure in the Sandeshkhali protests, on whose complaint Bengal Police had arrested Shibaprasad Hazra, an aide of arrested and suspended strongman Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh.

During his conversation with Roy, the Prime Minister, according to a BJP press release, said…that he was exploring legal options to ensure that the money looted from the poor would return to them through assets and l The money that the Law Enforcement Directorate seized from the corrupt.

The ED (Enforcement Directorate) has seized 3,000 crores in West Bengal which belong to the poor. I am taking legal advice and if it allows me, as soon as we form a government, I will return the money to those who had to pay a bribe for a job. Take my message to the people that I have sent this message for Bengal, Modi said in an audio clip shared by the BJP of the conversation, when Roy told him how the poor were deprived of their income to get jobs or be admitted to Bengal. school.

The ED is investigating a number of scam cases in Bengal, ranging from school recruitment to food rations to coal and cattle, filed against several leaders of the ruling TMC. The central agency had seized truckloads of cash in 2022 from a close associate of the now expelled TMC minister, Partha Ghosh.

Modi also said that the BJP was committed to eradicating corruption in the country, while on the other hand, all the corrupt have come together to save each other, an apparent attack on the opposition bloc INDIA.

Political analyst and author of Mission Bengal: A Saffron Experiment Snigdhendu Bhattacharya called the move an innovative campaign, but questioned whether the prime minister's assertiveness would have an impact.

Very innovative, a marketing campaign that deserves to be taught in institutes. It remains to be seen if or how this would affect the majority of women in Bengal. The main problem of the BJP is the corruption and poor governance of the TMC. They will also play the Hindutva card to consolidate votes so that the Left Congress alliance does not dent the anti-TMC votes. But their main advantage lies in grassroots grievances against TMC, Bhattacharya told ThePrint.

Meanwhile, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “She whose family tradition is treason, this queen mother Amrita Roy has been made the candidate from Krishnanagar by the BJP! Is this appointment aimed at restoring the oppressive monarchy in Krishnanagar? Or is the BJP planning to sell Bengal’s soil to a foreign power again?

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Krishnanagar battlefield

The BJP pitted Roy against TMC heavyweight Mahua Moitra, who became an MP in 2019 from Krishnanagar, a TMC stronghold since 2009. Moitra had to renounce his parliamentary membership for unethical conduct last year and is now facing investigations by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. with a case of payment against demand and foreign exchange violations, respectively.

BJP newbie Amrita Roy belongs to the royal family of Krishnanagar and is a descendant of Maharaja Krishna Chandra, who shaped the socio-cultural landscape of Bengal.

Political analyst Bhattacharya believes Roy's candidature is likely to sway the voters of Krishnanagar.

After his name was announced, the TMC targeted Roy saying that Maharaja Krishna Chandra had supported the British to defeat Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daulah.

Roy completed his schooling from La Martinière, Calcutta, and his higher education from Loreto College. Professionally, she is a fashion consultant.

The royal scion, who stays in Kolkata and visits Krishnanagar during festivals, is now busy reaching out to the people. Speaking to the media, Roy said, “The Prime Minister has motivated me to campaign extensively. I was surprised when he called. I am confident that I will win the support of the people.

(Edited by Gitanjali Das)

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