Trinamool photoshop row: CPI-M, BJP file police complaints

The BJP and the CPI-M on Sunday filed separate police complaints here against West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress for publishing a morphed picture showing Home Minister Rajnath Singh offering sweets to former Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat.

The morphed picture was one of several pictures displayed by Trinamool's Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien on Saturday in an attempt to prove close links between Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.

While the CPI-M has filed complaints both with Delhi and Kolkata police against O'Brien, the BJP in its complaint here named Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Subrata Bakshi besides O'Brien.

"In our complaint, we have named Banerjee, Bakshi and O'Brien and demanded their arrest for this fraud," said BJP leader Jayprakash Majumdar.

Citing the example of Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra, who was arrested in 2012 for circulating a spoof on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Marxist veteran and Left Front chairman Biman Bose demanded O'Brien be arrested.

"The chief minister should immediately order the arrest of Derek O'Brien. The reason for which Ambikesh Mahapatra, who had forwarded a cartoon, was arrested and sent behind bars, is applicable for O'Brien also. He deserves to be in jail," said Bose.

The Trinamool on Saturday acknowledged the picture was photoshopped and removed it from its website. Subsequently O'Brien too admitted it was a "mistake", and sought to "end the chapter".

--IANS

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