Tough to believe charge: Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Jyotipriya Mallick
'As far as I know Jyotipriya Mallick, from his frequent visits to our Assembly… he used to hold dialogue with everyone, was free and frank'
Speaker of the Bengal Assembly Biman Banerjee supported Jyoti Priya Mallick on Tuesday. Mallick, a senior cabinet member of Mamata Banerjee, was detained on October 27 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on suspicion of her involvement in a suspected public distribution system (PDS) fraud.
Speaking to reporters, Speaker Banerjee said he had trouble believing the accusations made against the former minister of supply and food.
"I am not familiar with the case's merits. However, from his repeated trips to our Assembly, Jyoti Priya Mallick seemed to be a free-spirited and open-minded individual who used to have discussions with everyone, the Speaker said. "I have been finding it quite difficult to accept the kinds of accusations that have been made against him."
Speaker Banerjee became the latest in a long line of supporters of Mallick, the minister of food and supply, beginning with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who supported him for ten years beginning in 2011.
After being questioned about possible PDS irregularities related to money trail, Mallick, who is now a forest minister, was taken into custody by the ED on October 27 from his Salt Lake residence.
The Speaker emphasized how steadfast Mallick's denial of guilt was.
"Jyoti Priya Mallick has maintained his innocence on many occasions. He said, "I also think Jyoti Priya Mallick has been expressing some very important things. "He has been expressing these ideas with such conviction and confidence."
Mamata has also stood firm in support of Mallick. Numerous dependable lieutenants, including Calcutta mayor Firhad Hakim, urban development minister Subrata Bakshi, and Trinamul state president Subrata Bakshi, have released expressions of support.
In stark contrast to its public reaction when three of its MLAs were detained by central investigative agencies for allegedly improper recruiting practices in state-aided schools, Trinamul's support for its Habra MLA was made.
The arrests of Burwan MLA Jiban Krishna Saha in April and Palashipara MLA Manik Bhattacharya in October of last year, as well as the disavowal of Behala East MLA Partha Chatterjee in July of last year, who was the party secretary-general and subsequently the industries minister, mostly went unnoticed by the party.
Inside the corridors of power, word has it that Mallick, also known as "Balu," is a great favorite of the chairwoman of Trinamul. Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the party and her nephew, is said to not quite feel that way.
For years, Mallick managed the large and unstable North 24-Parganas district almost by himself. However, Abhishek split out the district's organizational duties among a group of people who were mostly his supporters.
Speaking on whether Speaker Banerjee thinks Mallick is innocent, he replied, "Let's see what the future holds.... On the other hand, I think Jyoti Priya Mallick is a very kind guy. I don't believe that anybody is involved.
