Former Bengal Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee’s suicide might be due to ‘blackmailing pressure’: CM Adhikari

Kolkata, Aug 16 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told media persons on Sunday that some kind of “blackmailing pressure” might be behind the suicide of Asish Banerjee, the former state Minister and ex-Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly.

While emphasising on the “blackmailing pressure” angle, the Chief Minister also indirectly referred to the decision of the deceased leader to join the “rebel but majority” faction in Trinamool Congress led by the expelled party legislator Ritabrata Banerjee.

“Asish Banerjee stood against injustice and corruption within his own party after the Assembly elections earlier this year. He distances himself from the former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He also resigned from the committee that the former Chief Minister had formed. It is possible that the corrupt people within Trinamool Congress might have intimidated him. Someone might have blackmailed him. I had an extremely cordial relationship with him despite political differences. There will be a proper investigation into the incident. His suicide note and mobile phone will be examined,” Chief Minister Adhikari said.

The Chief Minister also added that there is a need to investigate whether anyone threatened the deceased leader or not.

“I am shocked. I have instructed the police and the District Magistrate to ensure that the autopsy is conducted properly,” he said.

CM Adhikari also said that although Asish Banerjee, a teacher by profession, was personally honest, same cannot be said about those who were his political colleagues.

He also rubbished allegations by a section within the Trinamool Congress that the administrative pressure from the state government and maligning exercise by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could have been reasons that prompted Asish Banerjee to adopt such an extreme step.

“No notice was issued by the police or the administration to him, no one within the BJP ever threatened taking his name. That is why there are reasons to probe whether anyone from Trinamool Congress, who were involved in corruption, threatened him or not,” CM Adhikari said.

Till late Sunday afternoon, there had not been a single reaction from Mamata Banerjee in the matter.

However, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee had issued a social media statement blaming the BJP and media for the suicide of Asish Banerjee.

–IANS

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