Kolkata: Daughter of West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim, arrested in the Narada sting case, Shabba Hakim has appealed to Trinamool Congress supporters to stay calm. Shabba Hakim also alleged that the BJP is trying to instigate violence in West Bengal. He said then it will be easy for them to implement President’s rule in the state. So the Trinamool Congress and people of Bengal should not fall into the trap, said Shabba. She also requested her father’s followers to gather in front of the court or the correctional home.
Alleging that the CBI could grab the opportunity to showcase that the law and order was breaking down, Shabba appealed to supporters to stay at home. She requested TMC members to desist from violating Covid-19 safety protocols.
“Besides, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, we have been appealing to baba’s (father’s) supporters. They should not to gather outside our residence or in front of Presidency Correctional Home. They must stay at home amid this Covid pandemic. We have personally telephoned our party workers appealing to them on this. We do not want the CBI to take advantage when the court hears us tomorrow (Wednesday),” Shabba said Tuesday.
TMC supporters had taken to the streets Monday. They had protested outside CBI offices at Nizam Palace, Presidency Correctional Home and Raj Bhavan. Some had taken to pelting stones, while others raised slogans.
Shabba is a doctor by profession. She said that her father is not really bothered about his plight in jail. However, he is worried about his inability to discharge his duties amid the COVID-19 surge has left him ill at ease.
Shabba had met Firhad in the Presidency correctional home here Tuesday morning.
“Baba is not sad because he is away from us. What concerns him is the work that he was supposed to undertake amid the COVID-19 crisis. He would leave home every morning to attend to the people in need of help,” Shabba rued.
Shabba also said the state transport minister was trying to cope with the sudden turn of events. “As of now, Baba is okay. We are keeping a tab on his health condition. But we are also worried. The Supreme Court had noted that chances of virus transmission were high in prison,” she added.
The CBI arrested Monday two state ministers – Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee besides MLA Madan Mitra and former party leader Sovan Chatterjee. They were arrested in connection with its probe into the Narada sting operation, which purportedly caught politicians accepting bribes on camera.
