Kapil Sibal leaves Congress leaders fuming

KOLKATA: Senior lawyer and Congress leaderKapilSibal’s taking up of MamataBanerjeegovernment’s brief has left state Congress leaders fuming. Sibal’s playing the “devil’s advocate” has made light of Congress leader Abdul Mannan’s solo effort to pursue the plea for a CBI investigation into the multi-crorePonzi scam up to the Supreme Court.
West Bengal Youth Congress activists mobbed the state Congress headquarters at Bidhan Bhavan on Monday demanding that Sibal drop the case immediately.While Congress leader Mala Roy claimed the state unit has already taken up the matter with the Congress high command, Sibal’s move sparked speculation that this could be an indication of Congress and Trinamool getting closer once again.
In a bid to put such wild guess to rest, Pradesh Congress president Adhir Chowdhury condemned Sibal’s move. “Professionals sometimes give priority to profession over party. As long as I am Pradesh Congress president I won’t ever invite Kapil Sibal to party programmes in Bengal,” Chowdhury said.
Mala Roy didn’t hide her sentiments either. “We are as pained as those cheated in the Saradha scam. We expected Kapil Sibal to take up the cause of the Saradha victims. Instead, the self-seeking lawyer took the government’s brief. We have informed our central leaders. I believe they tried to dissuade Sibal, but couldn’t prevail upon him. We are not giving up though. We lodged our protest in front of Bidhan Bhavan and have planned a wider agitation demanding punishment of the culprits. We will not let Abdul Mannan’s battle go in vein,” she said.
Congress leader Abdul Mannan welcomed the state’s demand for CBI probe under court monitoring. “We made this prayer to the Supreme Court. But the apex court didn’t allow this. Now the state has made the same prayer,” Mannan said.