Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday criticised chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s demand for a judicial inquiry into the Purulia arms drop case.
“I am amazed that such a furore is being raised over the allegation made by an accused,” he said.
Mr Mukherjee pointed out that the arms drop incident had taken place in 1995 and since then a non-Congress government was in power at the Centre for eight years.
“The CPI leader Indrajit Gupta, who hailed from Bengal, was Union home minister for two years from 1996 to 1998. Thereafter, L.K. Advani was Union home minister for six years. Three elections had been held in West Bengal since then. Why this charge was not raised earlier?” the Union finance minister asked.
Ridiculing the chief minister’s demand, Mr Mukherjee wanted to know if the CPI(M) leaders were sleeping all these years. Mr Bhattacharjee had on Friday demanded a judicial probe into the arms drop case alleging a political conspiracy.
Unfazed by Mr Mukherjee’s statement, the CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose said there were several disturbing questions which needed to be answered. “How did Kim Davy manage to flee India? How did a foreign plane enter India hoodwinking the air surveillance? Why was the radar at Kalaikunda air base inoperative?” he asked. He also wanted to know as to how was Peter Bleach pardoned in 2004 when BJP-led NDA was in power at the Centre and Mamata Banerjee was a Cabinet minister.