Apologise publicly or face defamation, Trinamool to Modi; EC asks for CD and transcript

Kolkata: A day after slamming Narendra Modi as "Butcher of Gujarat", the Trinamool Congress on Monday demanded that the Gujarat Chief Minister should apologise publicly or face a defamation case for questioning the sale of Mamata Banerjee's painting.

"Either he has to prove this (charges on sale of paintings) or apologise publicly for this. Otherwise we would file a defamation case against him," Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy told reporters here.

Modi, at a rally in Srirampore yesterday, had said, "Your (Mamata) paintings used to be sold for Rs 4 lakh, Rs 8 lakh or Rs 15 lakh, but what is the reason that one of your paintings sold for Rs 1.80 crore? I respect art. Who was the person who bought the painting for Rs 1.80 crore?"

"Who bought her paintings, for what price they bought them, how did they suddenly discover her talent -- these are the things the people of Bengal want to know," he had said.

Roy said the party has written to the Election Commission complaining that such "unsubstantiated" allegations were a violation of the model code of conduct.

"Someone whose hands are blood-stained in Gujarat riots is doubting the integrity and sincerity of our leader and making personal attacks," he said.

State finance minister Amit Mitra said all money raised from the sale of paintings have either gone to charity or for funding the party's mouthpiece 'Jago Bangla'.

"Modi has made a very low-level of personal attack on her. By resorting to the lowest denominator, he has changed the political discourse in the country," he said.

The Election Commission asked for the CD and transcript of Modi's speech to see if there was any violation of Model Code of Conduct.

"We have asked the district magistrate of Hooghly for the CD and transcript of Narendra Modi's speech at Serampore parliamentary constituency yesterday," the OSD in CEO's office Amit Roy Chowdhury said on Monday.

Roy Chowdhury, however, said the Commission was yet to receive any complaint on the issue and the EC's suo moutu move was on the basis of what they had seen on various TV channels.

Roy Chowdhury said the EC would thoroughly scan the speech to see if there was anything in violation to the Model Code of Conduct.