Mamata Banerjee, Battling Revolt, Faces "Hate Speech" Case And Probe Into Ad Agency Linked To Her

Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's troubles are mounting. This time the troubles come not from rebel Trinamool Congress MLAs but her own alleged actions and the company she keeps.

A police case has been filed against her in Kolkata for allegedly making communal remarks while campaigning for the assembly election. She already faces a police case filed in May by a lawyer in Siliguri over alleged hate speech.

The new BJP government in West Bengal has also ordered an investigation against a big advertisement company, known to be close to Mamata Banerjee, over allegations that the ad agency got at least Rs 635 crore in the last few years.

The money had been credited in three bank accounts of the ad agency, according to the allegations. Twenty big transactions that add up to a total of Rs 635 crore are under the scanner.

The case of the ad agency promoted by an individual identified as Ujjwal Sinha may be handed over to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to check for money laundering, sources said, adding Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari sees the matter as loot of public money.

In the hate speech case, a 45-year-old Kolkata resident, Tushar Kanti Das, filed a first information report (FIR) against the former chief minister over her "communal" comments at a Trinamool event during the campaigning phase.

The case was filed as a "zero FIR" before it was transferred to Hare Street police station, where she allegedly made the comments. A "zero FIR" is a case filed in any police station, to be transferred later to the police station under whose jurisdiction the case falls.

"The complainant alleged that Banerjee's statements had the potential to disturb peace and adversely affect communal harmony and democratic norms," a police officer said.

The developments come at a time when Mamata Banerjee is trying to douse the fire of a Trinamool implosion amid an intensifying rift within the party. A series of resignations and rebel assertions have fuelled uncertainty about internal cohesion and a possible merger.

At least 19 breakaway MPs, including senior leaders Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Satabdi Roy, gave their names to the Lok Sabha Speaker on May 18. Rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar had days ago confirmed that a group of 20 MPs had formally sought separate seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha, signalling an organisational split.

Suvendu Adhikari is expected to visit Delhi on Sunday to hold talks ahead of another meeting of rebel Trinamool MPs.