New Delhi: Drawing the ire of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) over his alleged meeting with Suvendu Adhikari, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Friday rubbished the accusations and said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader “dropped in unannounced”.
Asserting that there was no question of him meeting with Adhikari, the Solicitor General said that he was busy in some other meeting when the BJP leader arrived.
“Suvendu Adhikari did come to my residence cum office yesterday at around 3:00 PM, unannounced. Since I was already in a pre-scheduled meeting in my chamber, my staff requested him to sit in the waiting room of my office building and offered him a cup of tea,” said Mehta in a statement.
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“When my meeting was over and thereafter my PPS informed me about his arrival, I requested my PPS to convey Mr. Adhikari my inability to meet him and apologise as he had to wait. Mr. Adhikari thanked my PPS and left without insisting to meet me. The question of my meeting with Mr. Adhikari, therefore, did not arise,” he added.
Mehta’s remarks come as three MPs from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his removal from the Solicitor General’s post on the ground that he met Adhikari.
Asserting that Adhikari is an accused in various criminal cases of cheating, illegal gratification, and bribery and was caught on camera taking bribes in a sting operation in Narada case, the MPs in their letter said meeting the accused in that case is in direct conflict of interest with the Solicitor General’s statutory duties.
Highlighting that the Solicitor General is the second-highest law officer and advises the government and its agencies on crucial legal matters, including the Narada case which is being investigated by the CBI, the MPs in their letter said that necessary steps should be initiated for Mehta’s removal to avoid any doubt in the minds of the public regarding the integrity and neutrality of the office of Solicitor General.
The TMC’s outburst comes as Adhikari, who trounced Banerjee from the Nandigram seat in the recently held West Bengal Assembly polls, is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in several corruption cases.