Zee Media Bureau
Kolkata: The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rahul Sinha on Monday said there was no question of Narendra Modi apologising to the West Bengal Chief Minister over his questioning of Mamata Banerjee`s painting being sold for Rs 1.80 crore.
The Trinamool Congress today sought an apology from BJP`s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi, threatening to file a defamation suit over his allegations that an extravagant amount has been fetched after selling a painting of the Bengal CM.
Reacting to the issue, Rahul Sinha today said that the sale of a painting at exorbitant prices was a `well known fact and did not need to be proved`.
Yesterday, addressing a party rally in Sreerampur in Hooghly district, Modi attacked the state government over the Saradha chit fund scam and raised questions about Banerjee`s painting being sold at exorbitant prices.
`You (Banerjee) are a good painter. I have heard earlier your paintings used to be sold for Rs.4 lakh, Rs.8 lakh, Rs.15 lakh.... But what is the reason behind your painting once being sold for Rs.1.80 crore,` Modi had said at the rally.
Hitting back at Narendra Modi, Trinamool national spokesperson Derek O`Brien had yesterday said, “The butcher of Gujarat could not take care of his own wife. How will he take care of this great nation?”
Defending Mamata, Trinamool`s national general secretary Mukul Roy today said that Modi`s charge against the West Bengal CM was a `blatant lie` and shot off a letter to the Election Commission.
Trinamool spokesperson and state Finance Minister Amit Mitra also threatened to file a defamation suit if Modi did not tender an unconditional apology publicly.
`Modi, who knows nothing about West Bengal, paratroops here and goes into very low level of personal attack. He should apologise in public or we will file a defamation suit because his charges are patently false,` Mitra said.
Taking suo motu cognisance, the Election Commission today sought a detailed report from the district administration in West Bengal`s Hooghly on Narendra Modi`s speech raising questions about Banerjee`s painting being sold at an exorbitant price.
With agency inputs
