CID questions TMC MLA over ‘forged’ signature

Kolkata: CID officers visited the residence of Chowringhee MLA Nayana Bandyopadhyay on Thursday regarding an FIR lodged by the Bengal assembly secretary, which alleges that her signature proposing Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) was forged. Bandyopadhyay slammed the move, calling it the "harassment" of a five-time MLA and a bid to stall Chattopadhyay's appointment.The issue, Bandyopadhyay explained, pertains to a meeting on May 6 held by Trinamool Congress legislators to propose Chattopadhyay as their leader."It was a party meeting with officially recorded minutes," she told TOI. "As is the practice, I wrote my name in block letters and then wrote the name of the assembly constituency I represent. After that, there was no space left on the form to sign. I told the CID officers that I wrote my name and constituency in block letters myself, and there was nothing forged or suspicious about it."The CID officers, who stayed at her residence for 12 minutes, took a copy of her PAN card and a specimen signature. "It is only a preliminary enquiry," an officer stated.Bandyopadhyay alleged that the current political climate has worsened compared to earlier regimes. "In 2001, when I was first elected, the Left Front was in office. But things were not like this back then. It is worse now. The BJP does not want the LoP to be from Trinamool and is trying to bend the rules to thwart it. Is this even a matter for an FIR?" she questioned.