AfterIT cell of the BJP released a purported audio clip of Chief Minister MamataBanerjee on the day of the fifth phase of Assembly elections in West Bengal, amajor war of words erupted between Trinamool Congress and the saffron partyappealing to the Election Commission to take action against the other.
Whilethe BJP claimed that Banerjee is trying to polarise the voters, the rulingTrinamool accused the saffron brigade of intruding into people's right toprivacy by tapping the phone of the Chief Minister.
Thealleged audio tape released by BJP's national IT cell in-charge Amit Malviyahad a conversation between the Chief Minister and the Trinamool candidate fromSitalkuchi in Cooch Behar, Partha Pratim Ray, where a female voice, purportedlythat of Banerjee, could be heard asking "Partha" to "keep thebodies so that the party could hold a rally with the dead".
Thevoice is then heard asking "the Trinamool candidate" "to tellthe families "not to take the bodies home".
Thetape also has the female voice asking the second person to "consult alawyer and draw up an FIR" so that the "Commandant, IC, SP... couldbe transferred".
"Whowere killed in the firing?" the female voice could also be heard saying.
Thevoice on the other end responds: "Didi, they are our men."
Thenext question was: "Did the CRPF open fire?"
Itthen goes on to add: "I will ensure they are all arrested. Keep your cool.They are trying to divert your attention. Tell people that they are doing allthese to prevent them from voting. They will conduct NPR, set up detentioncamps."
TheTrinamool did not deny the veracity of the tape and, instead, played it outduring a press conference (after the BJP media briefing releasing the tape).
"Doesthe BJP acknowledge that even the Chief Minister of a state is under telephonesurveillance," Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy asked.
Meanwhile,Banerjee said at an election rally on Saturday that "she will find outabout everyone involved in tapping her phone" and order a CBI probe.
BJPleader Swapan Dasgupta, who led a delegation to state Chief Electoral OfficerAriz Aftab against the Chief Minister's purported conversation, said, "Wedidn't tap the Chief Minister's tape. A telephonic conversation is between twopeople and anyone can understand what can happen."
"Theconversation is a burning example that Trinamool Congress is trying to polarisethe elections and we have cautioned the Election Commission and asked them totake strong steps against this," Dasgupta added.
ATrinamool delegation comprising Yashwant Singha, Derak O' Brien and PurnenduBasu also met the Chief Electoral Officer and complained of phone tapping ofChief Minister Banerjee.
Speakingto the media, Trinamool's national spokesperson Derek O' Brien said,"First we need to think from where the tap was released. It was releasedfrom the BJP office and so there is no doubt that the BJP is behind thisconspiracy. Getting access to a private conversation by tapping the phone is adirect assault on the legal rights, including right to privacy, of ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee."