BJP’s Arjun Singh claims conspiracy to kill him, TMC calls him ‘mentally bankrupt’

Kolkata: Senior BJP leader Arjun Singh on Thursday claimed that conspiracies were being hatched to eliminate him and alleged that these efforts were politically motivated due to his opposition alignment.

"I am being maligned, and there are plans to eliminate me," Singh told reporters after appearing before the CID in connection with alleged irregularities in the awarding of a tender during his tenure as chairman of Bhatpara Municipality in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district in 2020.

The Trinamool Congress dismissed the allegations as baseless with party leaders claiming that Singh had become "mentally bankrupt." Singh, who had switched from the BJP to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) after the 2021 assembly elections, only to return to the saffron party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, denied any wrongdoing during his time as chairman of Bhatpara municipality.

"I was the first civic body chairman in the state to introduce e-tendering in Bhatpara. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee knows very well there were no illegalities in my tenure," Singh said soon after coming out from the CID headquarters at Bhabani Bhavan.

The BJP leader further claimed that there were plots being hatched by the administration to harm him and Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition. "We are under the protection of central security forces, so they cannot harm us physically in public. However, I have reliable information that I might be slowly poisoned during interrogation," Singh alleged.

"I don’t know for sure, but I have been warned by some trusted sources," the former MP claimed.

He warned that if he died from multi-organ failure in the next six months, the state government would be held responsible. "I will hold the state government accountable if anything happens to me," he said.

Singh also said he was fully prepared to cooperate with the CID and would not be intimidated.

"I have nothing to hide. I will face their questioning whenever they summon me. Today, they asked irrelevant questions for over three hours, but I remained calm and gave the same answers," he said. "If I switch camps from BJP to TMC, I will be branded a 'good boy' from a 'bad boy'. But I have spine, I won’t do that," he added.

TMC leaders reacted sharply to Singh's allegations. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed Singh's claims and called them "ridiculous." "Singh is making absurd accusations about being poisoned with chemicals imported from Russia. It’s laughable," Ghosh said. "Arjun has become jittery and nervous after receiving the CID summons," he added.

Bengal minister Firhad Hakim echoed Ghosh's sentiments. "Singh’s allegations show that he has become mentally bankrupt. We knew him as a political activist who would speak on real issues, but now he is making such nonsensical claims," Hakim said.

According to a CID official, Singh was served a notice in connection with a Rs 4.5 crore financial irregularity involving the awarding of civic project tenders during his tenure as Bhatpara municipality chairman in 2020.

Singh had initially approached the Calcutta High Court after receiving the summons, but the court directed him to appear before the CID on August 14, 2024.

Regarding Singh's claims of slow poisoning, the CID official denied any knowledge of such an allegation. The official also emphasised that the investigating agency would not engage in responding to "political comments" and would focus solely on the investigation at hand.