Controversy erupted on Saturday over an audio clip of a phone call where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is purportedly heard urging a BJP leader from Nandigram to rejoin the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and help her win the Assembly seat.
The development comes on a day when polling in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections was held in 30 seats in five districts.
The Chief Minister in the audio clip is purportedly heard telling Pralay Pal, BJP vice president of the Tamluk organisational district to help her and it would be ensured that he faces no problems. DH could not independently verify the authenticity of the clip.
“You are a young man. I know you are very hard working. Help us a bit this time in Nandigram. You will not face any problem,” Mamata is purportedly heard telling Pal.
However, Pal declined the offer saying that he had left the TMC and will not betray the party-BJP- which he currently belongs to.
“’Didi, regardless of what you think, I have left the party (TMC). I will not betray the party I am currently working for. When I work for a party I do it with complete loyalty. So does my family. No one can question the integrity of me and my family,” Pal was purportedly heard saying in the audio clip.
The TMC supremo was purportedly heard telling Pal in an apparent reference to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and his family that “ is the person contesting there (for BJP in Nandigram) means everything to you?” She also said in an apparent reference to the Adhikari that earlier they did not allow her to visit Nandigram and she did not have details of their activities.
The audio clip ended with Pal purportedly thanking Mamata for calling a party worker like him but declining her offer to rejoin the TMC. He later told reporters that Mamata called her but he declined her offer.
Questioning the authenticity of the audio clip TMC spokesperson Kuna Ghosh said “ since the clip is not verified we don’t know whether it's genuine or not. But there is nothing wrong with a politician calling her former party leaders.”
Reacting to the development BJP national general secretary and co-observer in West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya said “ only a candidate who has accepted defeat can speak in the manner Mamata didi has spoken in the clip.”