KOLKATA: In less than two months after Centre and West Bengal fought a bitter turf war over CBI seeking to arrest then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, the BJP and Trinamool- ruled central and state governments came at loggerheads again on Sunday over the alleged recovery of undocumented gold from the bag belonging to Rujira Banerjee, wife of party chief Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek.
Customs Department reportedly recovered 2 kg gold from Rujira’s bag at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport on the way back from Bangkok with her sister Menka Gambhir on March 16.
However, the issue snowballed after Customs officials reportedly filed a complaint at the Airport police station accusing Rujira of obstructing Customs officials in doing their duty and hurling abuses at them.
Rujira also filed an FIR at the police station against Customs officials accusing them of demanding Rs 50,000 from her and Menka and verbally abusing and threatening to book them under Customs Act.
“Customs should make the CCTV footage public. Forget 2 kg, even if they could prove recovery of 2 gm of gold from my wife’s bag, I will quit politics. BJP is spreading falsehood for political mileage before elections,” Abhishek said.
Referring to reports in a section of the media that his wife, Rujira Banerjee, was found to be carrying two kg gold by customs authorities at the city airport, he said, "If that was so, why wasn't it confiscated? Was the 'chowkidar' sleeping?"
Terming the reports "baseless and politically motivated", he said his wife was "not carrying even two grams of gold" or any other dutiable or objectionable item in the baggage when she landed in Kolkata on March 16.
Banerjee claimed that the commissioner of the Customs Kolkata Zone had written to a junior officer to file an FIR against his wife on instructions from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, New Delhi.
The Trinamool Congress leader, who heads the party's 'Yuva' wing, wondered how a covering letter by the commissioner, which was marked 'secret', could land in the hands of a television news channel.
Banerjee, who called a press conference at his office in Amtala of South 24 Parganas district here on the matter, alleged that the BJP was indulging in personal attacks against his family members, after having "failed" to fight the TMC politically.
"They are petrified of the Trinamool Congress because Mamata Banerjee has not bowed down to them. If we ask questions, they call us anti-national, anti-Hindu," he said, referring to the queries raised by the chief minister on the number of terrorists killed in the Balakot air strike.
"Indian Army is not your (BJP) paternal property. They are our pride, it is your pride too," he said.
Claiming that wild allegations were made about his wife landing at the NSC Bose International Airport with gold, foreign currency and other materials from Thailand, Banerjee said, "I am open to any and every kind of inquiry".
He also stated that his wife is a Thai citizen by birth and possessed a passport of Thailand.
"My wife is a Thai citizen, is that a crime?" he said, adding that she is not a voter in India. The TMC leader said CCTV footage should be checked from the time of Rujira's flight landing at 12.40 am on March 16 till the time she left the airport at 1.55 am.
Alleging that his wife was deliberately targeted at the airport, Banerjee said, "Is it a crime to be the wife of Abhishek Banerjee?"
He added that he will file criminal and civil defamation suits against those spreading "lies" about his wife.
Claiming that he is the only person in the country to have filed a criminal defamation suit against BJP president Amit Shah, Banerjee said he will not be deterred from his fight against the saffron party by any kind of intimidation.
Regarding allegations of interference of Customs officials by local police, he said that a lady constable had assisted Rujira apprehending a medical emergency.
He said that his wife had gone to Bangkok for a medical checkup and would produce the necessary documents in court if required.
The TMC MP further said Rujira had filed a complaint with the NSCBI Airport police station on March 16, alleging criminal intimidation and a demand of Rs 50,000 by certain Customs officials, failing which she and Gambhir were threatened with detention.
The Customs complaint at the same police station, however, stated its personnel were prevented from an examination of Rujira and Gambhir's baggage.
The Customs authorities also alleged that its officers were voluntarily and intentionally obstructed by the two passengers, local police personnel and other unknown persons from exercising powers conferred under the Customs Act.
Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta told reporters here that the police declined to take cognisance of the Customs authorities' complaint and did not file an FIR.
Claiming that police did not follow the standard operating procedures for filing an FIR, Dasgupta said, "Are there separate rules to be followed for different sets of citizens?" BJP leader Mukul Roy, who had quit the TMC to join the saffron party following differences with Mamata Banerjee, alleged that in West Bengal, attempts are being made to destroy the federal structure of the country.
"This had also happened in the past when the local police tried to heckle a central government agency," Roy said, referring to the CBI's recent visit to the residence of former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar to question him in connection with the Saradha chit fund and Rose Valley scams.
However, the investigative agency's officers were prevented by Kolkata police personnel and taken to a police station, triggering a major controversy.
(With PTI Inputs)