Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 8 (ANI): West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim, who was questioned by the CBI after his residence was raided on Sunday has hit out at the BJP, questioning the party if they can provide any ‘concrete evidence’ of wrongdoing on his part.
Hakim, who serves as the minister for urban development and municipal affairs and also holds the position of mayor of Kolkata, while addressing a press conference outside his residence after almost 9 hours of questioning by the CBI, said that he would resign if even one person claims of giving him a bribe.
“I have always worked for the people of Chetla. As mayor of the Municipal Corporation, I gave my full contribution but today my family and I are being harassed. I have been a councillor of Chetla for 25 years. If even one person says that he has given me a bribe, I will resign. Did I commit a sin by serving people?” the WB minister said.
He further said that the BJP-led Centre is “employing government agencies to harass him as he didn’t bow before the party”.
Hakim is a prominent figure in the TMC with significant influence within the party.
The leader further said that the BJP is resorting to the use of central agencies to intimidate him because they cannot compete with the TMC on a political level.
The CBI, on Sunday carried out searches at 12 locations, including the homes of Hakim and TMC MLA Madan Mitra, in various parts of the state as part of its investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment processes within civic bodies.
The raid and questioning at Hakim’s Chetla residence in south Kolkata began at 9 am and continued for nearly nine hours.
The central agency conducted searches at around 12 places in West Bengal in a case related to alleged irregularities in municipal bodies’ recruitment, officials said.
The multiple raids carried out by the CBI included Kolkata, Kanchrapara, Barrackpore, Halisahar, Dumdum, North Dum Dum, Krishnanagar, Taki and Kamarhati.
The raids were conducted at the premises of certain individuals including public servants in the ongoing municipal bodies recruitment investigation.
A case has been registered against the director of a private company and some other individuals following the orders of the Calcutta High Court, CBI officials said.
CBI officials alleged that all contracts pertaining to various Municipalities, District Primary School Councils and others for the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees were given to the private company.
It was further alleged that the said company was entrusted with all the tasks like setting up of question papers, printing and scanning of OMR sheets and preparation of the final merit list. It was also alleged that the Director of the private company and other individuals including public servants hatched a conspiracy among themselves.
In pursuant to that conspiracy, the accused who was responsible for the printing, designing and evaluation of OMR sheets allegedly facilitated the illegal appointments of several unmeritorious candidates in several municipalities in lieu of money, CBI officials said.
Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP General Secretary Agnimitra Paul has slammed Trinamool Congress over its allegations of misusing the government agencies by the Centre after the CBI raided the residences of the two TMC leaders, saying that the investigation was held following the court order.
Talking to ANI on the CBI raids at state minister and TMC leader Firhad Hakim’s residence, Agnimitra Paul said that the Central government has nothing to do with these investigations.
“TMC does not do their homework… They should know that this investigation is going on at the orders of the Court. All those who had allegations against them and their homes are being investigated… Today the CBI is raiding Firhad Hakim and Madan Mitra’s residence but they have been arrested before also… This is not related to the government… If you have not done anything wrong, you can go to the Court… The Central government has nothing to do with it…” Agnimitra said.
BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said that those who indulge in corruption should be punished.
“Earlier, when many people were arrested from Hooghly, some evidence was recovered…So CBI has gone for an enquiry to their houses… Those who indulge in corruption should be punished…” Chatterjee said.
Reacting to the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) allegations of misusing the government agencies by the Centre, the BJP MP said, “When thieves commit theft, they call it ‘revenge politics’. But the truth must come out. PM Modi gave the slogan, ‘Na khaunga, na khane dunga’. The country is running on ‘Na khaunga, na khane dunga'”.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his earlier speech, had talked about corruption issues in the country and said, “Na khaunga, na khane dunga.” (Neither will I indulge in corruption, nor let others do so).
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kailash Vijayvargiya alleged that a significant corruption case is about to be exposed involving Mamata Banerjee’s family shortly after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted search operations at the residence of TMC (Trinamool Congress) leader Firhad Hakim in connection with alleged irregularities in civic body recruitment.
“There has been a lot of corruption there. They (WB govt) never answer the notices sent under the Right to Information Act. The connection of this corruption is with Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek,” Vijayvargiya alleged while speaking to ANI on Sunday in Indore.
“A huge case of corruption is going to be unearthed which will expose Mamata Banerjee, who dreams of becoming the PM, and how corrupt her family is,” he alleged. (ANI)
, https://www.aninews.in/news/national/politics/my-family-and-i-am-being-harassed-wb-minister-after-cbi-questioning20231008234625
