FIRs against BJP's Babul Supriyo for playing anti-Trinamool song and snatching camera of EC official

The police have registered two FIRs against Union Minister and BJP candidate from Asansol Babul Supriyo for playing his anti-Trinamool Congress song despite prohibitions by the Election Commission and the second for snatching the camera of the camera of an EC official who was video recording his campaign rally.

On Tuesday, the Election Commission had issued a show-cause notice to Supriyo for putting out a campaign song, composed and sung by him, without prior permission, officials said. The music-video was posted in social media and some local TV news channels aired it without certification from the Election Commission, Additional Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal Sanjay Basu said.

The singer-turned-politician, who is an MP from Asansol, was asked to reply within 48 hours of receiving the notice, Basu said.

Supriyo on Wednesday, however, refuted allegations of putting out a campaign song without prior permission of the Election Commission, insisting that the video which went viral was actually a clip of him recording the number. 

"It is not that I have released any campaign song. The fact is when I was recording this song in a studio in Mumbai, media persons came and shot a video of it. It was a clip of that video that was shown on various news channels and went viral on social media. I did not release or share anything," the Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises said at a press conference.

Basu said content of all audio-visual clippings, audio messages and write-ups have to be sent to the poll panel for pre-verification and clearance by its Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC). These contents can be used only after a certificate is issued by the MCMC, he said.

The campaign song "will not be aired" till further orders by the Commission, Basu added.

(With PTI inputs)