New Bengal CPI-M chief terms case against wife minor thing

Kolkata, March 13 (IANS) Newly elected CPI-Ms' West Bengal secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra on Friday dismissed as a "minor thing" the slapping of a case against his wife and nephew for alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds, saying such "false cases" have been filed against over one lakh Marxist workers during the Trinamool Congress regime.

Mishra, who took over the reins of the state party a day after the West Bengal Police's Anti-Corruption Branch said it has started a case against four people including his wife Usha Mishra and his nephew Sudip Mishra, refused to make any further comments on the matter.

"This is a minor thing. False cases have been slapped against over one lakh of our party workers and members.

"They have been attacked, thrown out of their homes, and had to pay crores of rupees as fine, some of them have been maimed for life," Mishra, also a politburo member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, said in reply to journalists' posers on the issue.

"Then so many people have become martyrs (after we lost power). Compared to that this is a very minor issue. I don't want to talk about it."

The ACB Thursday said the case was started following a complaint by the state health department in connection with funds received by the Baromohanpur Bhagabati Devi Nari Kalyan Samity (BBDNKS) in connection with an anti-AIDS project between 2007 and 2011. Mishra was the health minister of the then Left Front government during the period.

The charges include cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery for purpose of cheating, criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and related provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

ACB personnel had raided the NGO in Beldanga of West Midnapore district Wednesday. Usha Mishra had dubbed it an attempt to tarnish her husband's image, while the CPI-M urged people to protest against the "mean conspiracy".

In a statement, the CPI-M said on Wednesday that earlier a non-bailable case was slapped against Surjya Kanta Mishra's daughter, while his brother - a former college principal - faced a similar action.

"These incidents are nothing but mean conspiracies to tarnish the image and harass comrade Mishra.

"It would not be irrelevant to say that the Trinamool Congress and the government have adopted this disgusting path in the backdrop of the Central Bureau of Investigation sending a letter seeking details of Trinamool's income and expenditure accounts," the CPI-M had said.