'Who tapped BJP leaders' call?' asks Shah, day after Bengal audio war

A day after an audio war erupted between BJP and TMC in election-bound West Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday sought to know how the purported recording of a phone call between two BJP leaders was leaked.

In the audio clip released by the TMC, the purported conversation between BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Shishir Bajoria implied that the Election Commission could be influenced during the ongoing election in West Bengal.

Shah said the discussion in question was regarding demands made for the transfer (of officers), which were in writing too. Shah said that there’s nothing secret in it and the question that now arises is who tapped their phone call.

The Union minister made the statement at a press conference in Delhi during which he also expressed confidence that BJP has performed really well in the first phase of the election, which concluded Saturday.

In the audio clip, Roy, who is BJP’s national vice president, was purportedly heard telling industrialist Bajoria on the party’s requirements that need to be raised with the poll body, including a request to pass orders permitting booth agents to be picked from anywhere in the state. Under existent rules, polling agents are allowed only at booths in localities where they reside.

The TMC had released the audio clip after BJP released one claiming that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had dialled Proloy Pal, a BJP leader from Nandigram, requesting him to rejoin her party and help her win the election.

The audio clips in question have not been independently verified by The Federal.

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Shah, during the press conference, further said BJP will win 26 of the 30 Phase-I seats in Bengal, adding that “BJP, with its vision of Sonar Bangla, has been able to raise hopes of a better West Bengal among its people.”

Regarding the TMC’s criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech during his recent visit to Bangladesh, Shah said, the visit was to strengthen bilateral ties and had nothing to do with the elections.

“I want to appeal to the people of Nandigram, from where CM Mamata Banerjee is contesting polls, to vote for change in West Bengal,” said Shah.

Shah said elections were held in a peaceful manner in both West Bengal and Assam, and it was a positive sign. “According to the feedback received from the ground, BJP will win 37 of the 47 seats that went to polls in Assam in the first phase,” added the senior BJP leader.

(With inputs from agencies)