TMC threatens to file criminal defamation case against Amit Shah

The Trinamool Congress Tuesday threatened to file a criminal defamation case against BJP President Amit Shah if he did not withdraw his comments suggesting that TMC leaders collected "syndicate tax". During the 'Gantantra Bachao Yatra' in West Bengal, Shah said if the BJP came to power, it would ensure that the people of the state do not have to pay "syndicate tax".

"Remove the TMC government from Bengal and we will stop cow smuggling and infiltration in Bengal. If lotus blooms in Bengal, then you won't have to pay syndicate tax to TMC leaders," he said. Reacting to this, TMC's chief spokesperson Derek O'Brien, in a statement posted on Twitter, said: "Mr Amit Shah, Bengal is not UP where you are spreading hate and disharmony. There is peace and harmony here. And, if you do not withdraw your wild allegations on 'syndicate tax', we shall charge you with criminal defamation."

The TMC leader said the speeches of BJP leaders were low on facts and were "in poor taste". He also alleged that the BJP had failed to understand the ethos of Bengal and were headed for a big "zero" in the general elections in the state. During his visit to the state last year, Shah had set a target of winning more than 22 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal.