Sting on TMC leaders: CPI(M) demands probe

Targeting West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress over a "sting" operation which purportedly showed three of its ministers and some MPs accepting bribe from a fictitious company, CPI(M) today asked the Centre and the Election Commission to probe the matter in view of coming assembly polls in the state.
Speaking to reporters here, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury demanded that the Centre take action given some TMC Parliamentarians have been accused of taking bribe and come to a "speedy conclusion" in the matter.
The party said the Election Commission too should take cognisance of the "sting" and intervene as the "disclosure" has come ahead of the assembly poll and "the money could be used to influence or intimidate voters" during the election.

"The sting operation has clearly shown a galaxy of top TMC leaders involved in unethical manner in which money was being accepted. Now this is a very serious charge. This resoundingly vindicates what CPI(M) has been saying for some years now.
"We demand that there should be a thorough investigation into this," Yechury said.
Yechury also dismissed TMC's claim that its political rivals were behind the "smear campaign" and asked West Bengal's ruling party to not "shy away" from a probe.
The Rajya Sabha member also stated that in case the BJP-led central government doesn't not take action in the matter, it will underscore again "match-fixing" between the NDA major and TMC, which he claimed, was already evident with CBI's alleged "go-slow" approach in Saradha chit fund scam, in which Trinamool leaders are accused of being involved.

Three West Bengal ministers, some MPs and MLAs allegedly accepted bribes from a fictitious import-export company, according to a news portal's "sting" operation.