Kolkata: A theft at a jewellery showroom in Jaleswar, Odisha, has provided the Trinamool Congress much needed ammunition to hit back at the BJP after being cornered by the saffron party for a day over the gangrape of a law student in Kolkata.
Somnath Sahoo, the man who allegedly stole 100 gm of gold from the jewellery showroom before being nabbed is apparently a BJP leader from the West Midnapore district of West Bengal, the Trinamool claimed on Saturday.
“Locals caught him while he was trying to flee and handed him over to the police. The party that claims to be the guardian of law and order is busy sheltering criminals!” it was posted on the official X handle of the Trinamool Congress, along with photographs and a video clip.
Trinamool state general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed on social media that the BJP Yuva Morcha leader from Habibpur (West Midnapore) had been caught by Odisha Police while stealing jewellery worth Rs 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 Sahoo’s photograph with BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, who is also the Union minister of state for education.
The post also has a photograph of Sahoo 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 president of the Trinamool also 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.
The BJP, meanwhile, has claimed that 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.
The Trinamool, however, claims that Sahoo is still the district youth wing secretary in the BJP.
BJP’s district spokesperson Arup Das denied any current link with Sahoo. He admitted though that Sahoo’s name may still appear on the party list because a new committee is 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 Trinamool has no right to speak about such issues. They shelter murderers and rapists.” Das said.
The Trinamool landed in a major crisis on Friday after the arrest of Monojit Mishra, the prime accused in the gangrape of the law student. It was confirmed that Mishra used to be a prominent youth leader of the Trinamool till recently and still maintains contacts with the party.
