The consumption of alcohol has now become the latest tool in the political battle between the Trinamool and the Left. Specifically, the consumption of alcohol in jail. The trigger? The clandestine supply of alcohol to a Trinamool minister jailed for links with the Saradha scam.
On Saturday, transport minister Madan Mitra was emerging from a government hospital after some routine medical tests when he was obliquely asked, how come alcohol was being supplied in jail? Mr Mitra didn't blink. He rephrased a rude phrase in Bengali and said, "Ask elders at home, they will tell you."
According to sources in Alipore Correctional Home, where the transport minister has been lodged after his arrest in December in the Saradha scam, about a month ago, Mr Mitra complained one evening that he was feeling unwell but refused to go to hospital. When a doctor finally checked him, the diagnosis was, Mr Mitra was not ill. He was inebriated.
The Opposition has been sniggering till now. Today CPM Politburo member and Left Front leader Biman Bose said, "What kind of leaders are these Trinamool leaders? They have even turned the jail into a bar. The people are watching everything."
In RG Kar Horror, BJP Leader's 3 Questions, Accuses Trinamool Of Cover-Up 'Leave Parents Alone': Trinamool On 'Money Offer' To Kolkata Doctor Family Video Of MLA 'Misbehaving' With Ticket Checker Viral, Railways Mulls Action 9 Dead, 2,800 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel Highlights: Arvind Kejriwal Resigns, Atishi To Be Delhi Chief Minister IndiGo Flight Tailstrike Leaves Huge Dent During Take-Off From Delhi Airport Kamala Harris Dials Trump After Apparent Assassination Attempt Ghislaine Maxwell's Sex-Trafficking Conviction Upheld, Appeal Planned Stage Set For Phase 1 Of J&K Elections Today, 24 Seats Up For Contest Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.