BJP, Karat file police complaint against TMC leaders over morphed picture
New Delhi: CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat filed a complaint against TMC MP Derek O'Brien on Sunday for allegedly using a morphed picture of his being offered sweets by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Targeting the Mamata Banerjee-led party over the photo episode, Karat said TMC is getting "increasingly desperate" as the poll campaign in West Bengal goes on.
It shows the level to which TMC can "stoop to", he said.
Karat, the former CPI(M) general secretary, has lodged the complaint at Mandir Marg police station in the national capital.
Read: TMC in soup after morphed photo of Rajnath, Prakash Karat emerge
"He (O'Brien) has used morphed picture in his press conference and it has also been put on website of Trinamool Congress and this is being widely shown on the (news) channels also.
"So, it is politically defamatory and got the party (CPI-M) and myself into disrepute among people. So, action should be taken," Karat said in his complaint.
He said displaying the "fabricated" photograph on TMC's website falls under cyber crime and that it was O'Brien who should be held responsible for "using" the image.
Karat said CPI(M) will also take up the issue before people of the state to "expose" the ruling party "politically".
The Trinamool Congress, following a press conference by its national spokesperson O'Brien, had yesterday posted two videos and six pictures on its website. The party, however, removed the morphed picture from its website after controversy.
O'Brien had yesterday told PTI that the image was removed from the TMC website on realising that the photograph was a morphed one.
Meanwhile, the BJP also lodged a police complaint against Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, Subrata Bakshi and Derek O'Brien alleging that they were responsible for the use of a morphed picture of Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and demanded their immediate arrest.
BJP state spokesperson Joy Prakash Majumdar along with other leaders and party workers met Joint Commissioner (Crime) of Kolkata Police, Debasish Boral at the Police Headquarter at Lalbazar and lodged a complaint against the three TMC leaders.
"Today we have lodged a complaint with the Kolkata Police in connection with the morphed picture showing Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh offering sweets to CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat.
"In our complaint we have held three TMC party chairperson Mamata Banerjee, all India general secretary Subrata Bakshi and national spokesperson Derek O'Brien who held yesterday's press conference responsible for the entire episode and demanded their immediate arrest," Majumdar said.
"Derek O'Brien held yesterday's conference after he was instructed by Mamata Banerjee. So it's clear it was whose brainchild," Majumdar added describing the incident as "unprecedented" in the history of the country's politics.
"We have seen so many things happening in Indian politics but TMC has broken all records and stooped to such a low level," he said.
"We have received a complaint from the BJP today. They have lodged a complaint with our Cyber Crime section. We are looking into the matter," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Debasish Boral said.
Meanwhile, Left Front Chariman Biman Bose also demanded that Derek O'Brien should be arrested in connection with the morphed photograph incident.
Stating that if Jadavpur University Prof Ambikesh Mohapatra could be arrested for circulating one spoof on Mamata Banerjee and the then Railway Minister Mukul Roy then "why will not Derek O'Brien be arrested in this case? Bose questioned.
"If Ambikesh Mohapatra can be arrested for a circulating one photo which he had not created, I think Derek O'Brien must be arrested," Bose said.
TMC, following a press conference by its national spokesperson Derek O'Brien, had yesterday posted two videos and six pictures on its website. The party, however, removed the morphed picture from its website after the controversy.
