Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused BJP of scoring political points ahead of Bihar election
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury describes actor Rhea Chakraborty's arrest over drug charges as "ludicrous" and calls her a "Bengalee Brahmin lady" whose father, a retired Army officer, is "entitled to demand justice for his kids".
In a series of tweets, Mr Chowdhury, the Congress leader in Lok Sabha newly appointed the party's West Bengal chief, also accused the BJP of "turning Sushant Singh Rajput into a Bihari actor" to score political points ahead of the Bihar election.
"Departed star, Mr SushanthSinghRajput was an Indian actor, BJP turned him into a Bihari actor, only to score electoral brownie points," he said.
The Congress slammed the BJP after the party's Bihar unit released "Justice for Sushant Singh Rajput" posters and banners. The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, of which BJP is a part, is seen to claim credit for the transfer of the Sushant Singh Rajput probe to the CBI.
Though the Sushant Rajput case may become an electoral issue in Bihar, Rhea Chakraborty's Bengali identity has not caused any flutter in Bengal so far. Mr Chowdhury is the first political leader from the state to focus on her identity as a "Bengali Brahmin" while condemning her arrest. The Chakraborty family reportedly has roots in Purulia with an ancestral home at Bagmundi in the district.
Leaders from the Trinamool and the BJP's Bengal unit have skirted the issue and, when asked, declined comment on Rhea Chakraborty and the infamous comments on social media about 'Bengali women' being 'gold-diggers' and into black magic.
In his tweets, Mr Chowdhury said Rhea Chakraborty's father "is also entitled to demand justice for his kids". Trial by media was an ominous portent for the judicial system, he wrote, adding that justice for all was a basic tenet of the constitution.
"Rhea Chakraborty has been indicted not for abetment of suicide nor murder nor any economic offences, she has been arrested under NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act), ludicrous. To please the Political Masters central agencies have played their roles, after churning the sea they have discovered drugs instead of nectar. Still they are groping in the dark to identify who is the murderer," Mr Chowdhury said.
Rhea Chakraborty, 28, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of organizing drugs for her boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput, a Bollywood actor whose death on June 14 is being investigated by the CBI.
Her brother Showik and Sushant Singh Rajput's employees are among the 10 people arrested over drugs-related charges in the case.