Sting comments: Trinamool to seek clarifications from Dinesh Trivedi

Kolkata, March 26: A day after party MP Dinesh Trivedi kicked up a storm by suggesting those Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders purportedly shown accepting money in a video of a said sting operation should sit at home till they come out clean, its parliamentary party leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the leadership would seek clarifications from him. [TMC distances itself from Trivedi's remarks]

However, Bandyopadhyay said the spirit in which Trivedi made the comments was not reflected in the media reports.

"I have talked to Dinesh Trivedi. He told me that only 30 seconds out of his half an hour long speech was quoted by the media.

"The rest of his speech which was not covered comprised comments like 'there is no political leader more honest than Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee'," said Bandyopadhyay, adding: "The spirit in which he had made the comments was not reflected as only a part of his speech was quoted."

He said the Trinamool enjoyed complete public support and such developments would not harm its prospects in the coming assembly polls.

"As for his aforesaid comments we will seek clarification from him and get his version of the matter. Such things will not affect us in the Assembly polls.

"The Trinamool is now in a position where it enjoys full public support," he said.

Replying to a query during at panel discussion organised by industry chamber CII in Delhi on Friday, Trivedi had said if he were the head of the Trinamool, he would have asked those shown in the purported video footage to "sit at home" till they "come out clean" in a probe.

He also said those shown in the footage should seek an inquiry if they felt they were innocent.

However, he also said the party's "top and bottom" - chief Mamata Banerjee and the grass-root workers, were "honest".

IANS