Somnath Sahoo, a BJP leader from West Bengal, has been arrested for allegedly stealing 100 grams of gold from a jewellery shop. The incident has caused a stir in West Midnapore’s political circle.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) shared a clip of the alleged incident on social media.
“Locals caught him while he was trying to flee and handed him over to the police,” it wrote on Twitter (now X).
“The party that claims to be the guardian of law and order is busy sheltering criminals!” Mamata Banerjee’s party added.
TMC State General Secretary Kunal Ghosh claimed on social media that the BJP Yuva Morcha leader from Habibpur had been caught by Odisha Police while stealing jewellery worth ₹25 lakh.
“CCTV footage exposes him. Locals caught him while he was trying to flee and handed him over to the police,” Ghosh wrote while sharing the accused’s photo with BJP State President, Sukanta Majumdar, also Minister of State for Education of India. He also shared Sahoo’s photo with actor-turned-politician Hiran Chatterjee, a BJP MLA.
“What link does the BJP State President have with a thief? Has he got a share? Clarify please. Whether these are facts or not,” Ghosh added.
Sujoy Hazra, West Midnapore district TMC president, has mocked the BJP.
“BJP leaders are involved in human trafficking, drugs, and gold smuggling. This man says he’s not with the BJP, but in this district, the BJP hardly exists. If you check, you’ll find many BJP workers with similar shady records,” he said.
BJP hits back
BJP has claimed that Somnath Sahoo was once associated with the party but holds no post now. It added that Odisha, a BJP-ruled state, had arrested him without bias. That should be a lesson for Bengal’s ruling party about good governance, it added.
According to Anandabazar Patrika sources, Somnath was caught while trying to flee after stealing from a jewellery store in Jaleswar, Odisha. TMC claims he still holds the post of district youth wing secretary in the BJP.
BJP’s district spokesperson Arup Das denied any current link with Somnath. However, he claims Somnath’s name may still appear on the party list because a new committee has yet to be formed.
“He was once connected to the BJP, but there’s been no contact for over a year and a half,” the publication quoted Das as saying.
“TMC has no right to speak about such issues. They shelter murderers and rapists.” Arup added.
MLA Hiran Chattopadhyay has said he doesn’t feel awkward.
“Odisha BJP government and its police acted without bias and arrested a criminal. I praise them. The photo seems to be from the 2021 election campaign. Hundreds took photos with me. I can’t know who among them is a thief or not,” he said.
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