Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha candidate from Medinipur Agnimitra Paul on Saturday, accused the West Bengal Police of arresting several of the party’s polling agents and the ruling party driving one of the polling agents away from the booth on voting day. “They (TMC) have removed our polling agent. The TMC kidnapped him and took him away. When I received the information I came here. He was crying here. I have taken him inside and made him sit,” Paul said speaking to on Saturday.
Tag: Agnimitra Paul
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Arvind Kejriwal: “If a dacoit gets bail, then there is no point in celebrating”: BJP’s Agnimitra Paul on interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal
Slamming the Aam Aadmi Party for “celebrating” the Supreme Court’s granting of interim bail to its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, Agnimitra Paul, the BJP MLA from Asansol in West Bengal, said, “If a dacoit gets bail, then there is no point in celebrating.”
“If a dacoit gets bail, then there is no point in celebrating. He is a hypocrite who once said that he was against misgovernance, but now he has become the face of misgovernance. Whoever has looted the public money has to go to jail,” Paul told ANI.
Kejriwal was released from jail after spending over 50 days following his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement on March 21 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. He has been granted interim bail till June 1 with conditions that he shall not visit the Office of the Chief Minister or the Delhi Secretariat.Opposition parties across the country welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that the CM has not been proven “innocent”.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesCongress Lok Sabha candidate from North-East Delhi, Kanhaiya Kumar, said on Friday that the Supreme Court’s granting of interim bail to Kejriwal is a befitting reply to those who want to impose dictatorship in the country.”I would like to congratulate the entire country because Arvind Kejriwal has been given bail by the Supreme Court. This is a befitting reply to those who want to impose dictatorship in the country,” Kumar told reporters here. “Democracy will prevail in the country, and INDIA alliance will continue its fight against the NDA. People want change in the country as well as Delhi,” he added.CM Kejriwal received a warm welcome from supporters as well as his family members on returning from prison.
“I had promised to come back soon, here I am,” Kejriwal said while addressing supporters enroute his residence from jail.
The Chief Minister is also scheduled to meet the press on Saturday at 1 pm at the Aam Aadmi Party office in Delhi.
AAP leaders including Gopal Rai, Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Swati Maliwal and Kailash Gehlot thanked the top court for granting interim bail to the party chief.
Delhi Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai said, “There is a wave of happiness in the entire country. SC’s decision has shown a ray of hope. The entire country is thankful to the SC. The fight against dictatorship and to save democracy and constitution will be strengthened after the release of Arvind Kejriwal.”
Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi called it a “historic day” and said that it is a victory for democracy and the Constitution. “It is a historic day, not just for AAP but the entire country. BJP has left no stone unturned to turn it into a dictatorial country…SC’s decision has given hope to the people that there will be an end to this dictatorship. It is a win of the democracy & constitution,” Atishi said.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said, “He has been granted bail for the election campaign till June 1 but what after that? Getting interim bail does not mean that you have been proven innocent. It will not affect the elections, BJP will win all 7 seats of Delhi.”
Supreme Court lawyer Shadan Farasat representing Arvind Kejriwal said that the order is operable till June 2 adding that there are no restrictions on what he can say or not say in his election campaigning.
Earlier in April this year, AAP MP Sanjay Singh was released on bail from Tihar jail following the top court’s order. Singh was released after spending over six months in jail in connection with the excise policy case.
The AAP supremo is likely to participate in the election campaigns of the party in the run-up to the general elections in Delhi scheduled to be held on May 25.
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Asansol bypoll: Trinamool files complaint against BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul
By PTI
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress on Thursday filed a complaint with the Election Commission against Agnimitra Paul, BJP’s candidate for the by-poll to the Asansol Lok Sabha seat, for her alleged comment ‘blow lands on us, we will retaliate’, during the ongoing election campaign.
A purported video went viral on Wednesday where Paul was heard shouting to her party supporters during a meeting in Asansol, “I am telling you if a blow lands on us, we will retaliate in equal measure”.
Justifying her alleged comments, she told reporters later “if someone punches us, we cannot reciprocate by ‘namaskar’ (polite greeting). we cannot hug that person. Our response will be to land a counter punch on the assaulter.”
Earlier a purported video footage of the Pandabeswar Trinamool Congress MLA Narendranath Chakraborty created a storm where he was heard telling party workers “to intimidate committed BJP supporters so that they do not go to booths on the day of polling.”
The EC had on Wednesday barred Chakraborty from campaigning for the Asansol by-elections for violating the model code of conduct by allegedly issuing such open threats to BJP voters and supporters at a party meeting.
Attaching the video and the press meet footage of Agnimitra Paul, an actress and BJP leader, TMC state General Secretary Kunal Ghosh said in a mail to the CEO’s office, “from her conduct it is evident that Paul has decided to repeatedly promote violence in a desperate bid to win her seat.”
“Her speeches not only emboldened members/supporters of BJP to use violence against opponents but has also eventually terrorise the entire electorate,” the letter said.
The ruling party advocated immediate action “including but not limited to criminal proceedings against Paul.”
The other steps it suggested included taking necessary steps to ensure BJP and Agnimitra Paul “are refrained from repeating such violations during the pendency of the ensuing election.”
Referring to the TMC complaint, BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya told PTI, “When the state police becomes mere stooges of the ruling party and the opposition is subjected to brutal violence by TMC, the people’s representatives feel helpless and insecure.”
Bhattacharya said “it has to be kept in mind in what circumstances a people’s representative and a candidate from the opposition has made such a comment to boost the morale of party members and supporters. Does the TMC understand the language of civility and culture?”
Paul, who is the BJP MLA from Asansol South assembly seat and is contesting the Asansol Lok Sabha seat against Bollywood hero of yesteryears, Shatrughan Sinha, nominated by TMC for the seat which was vacated by Babul Supriyo after he left BJP to join TMC.
Supriyo is contesting on a TMC ticket from Ballygunge assembly seat where by-poll was necessitated after the untimely death of TMC heavyweight Subrata Mukherjee.
By-polls to the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency and the Ballygunge assembly seat will be held on April 12, and votes will be counted on April 16.
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BJP nominates MLA Agnimitra Paul against Shatrughan Sinha of TMC for Asansol LS by-poll
By PTI
KOLKATA: The BJP on Friday named fashion designer turned MLA Agnimitra Paul as the party candidate for the by-election to the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency to contest against Shatrughan Sinha of the Trinamool Congress.
For the by-poll to Ballygunje assembly seat in Kolkata, the BJP’s women’s wing leader Keya Ghosh, a known face in television panel discussions, has been nominated as the party candidate. She was pitted against former union minister and TMC candidate Babul Supriyo.
The names were announced by the BJP central leadership in Delhi, the party’s West Bengal spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya told PTI. By-polls in both seats will be held on April 12 and votes will be counted on April 16.
Paul had been elected to the state assembly from the Asansol South seat in Paschim Bardhaman district last year on BJP ticket.
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee nominated actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha to contest from the industrial city of Asansol having a sizeable Hindi speaking population.
The Left Front fielded senior CPI(M) leader Partha Mukherjee as the candidate for the by-election in the Asansol Lok Sabha seat. It named Saira Shah Halim of the CPI(M) as its candidate for the bypoll in the Ballygunge assembly seat. She is a known face on prime time debate shows on national news channels.
The bypoll to Asansol was necessitated as Supriyo resigned as the BJP MP after joining the TMC in September last year.
The Ballygunge Assembly seat is going to the by-election as incumbent MLA and state minister Subrata Mukherjee died in November 2021. Paul could not be contacted for her comment as she did not reply to calls and text messages.
Keya Ghosh alleged that Supriyo had acted in the most unethical manner by switching loyalties. “Besides fighting against the TMC’s misrule and attack on democracy, my job will be to unmask Supriyo. He will be defeated in the by-poll,” she added.