'Tapas Pal Died Due To Vendetta Politics': Mamata Banerjee Blames Modi Govt For Actor-Politician's Death

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday blamed the "pressure" created by central agencies for the death of Trinamool Congress leader and actor Tapas Pal. Mamata Banerjee, in an outburst today while paying tribute to Pal, alleged that "vendetta politics" by the Union government led to his death. She alleged that she had seen "three deaths" because of the centre's "vendetta politics".

Pal, a two-term former MP, died at the age of 61 in Mumbai on Tuesday after a heart attack. He was an accused in the Rose Valley chit fund scam case and was in jail for over a year.

"Tapas Paul was under tremendous pressure from central agencies and was a victim of the Centre's vendetta politics," she told reporters at Rabindra Sadan where Pal's mortal remains have been kept for people to pay homage. "The vendetta politics of the central government is condemnable. No one is spared. I have seen three deaths before my eyes because of it," said the Chief Minister.

"The law must take its own course but this humiliation day after day, whisper campaigns... these are finishing off people," she remarked, expressing grief at the actor-politician's death. "I can't even bear to look at Tapas..."

"Today I am forced to say certain things, even if I am told this is politics. Tapas Pal's death has proved how agencies can destroy a person mentally. He was devastated. He was tortured. He probably never realized his crime. He was a number one film star and he was jailed for a year," she was quoted as saying by NDTV.

ALSO READ: Tapas Pal, Veteran Bengali Actor And Former Trinamool Congress MP, Dies At 61

Banerjee also alleged that another TMC leader Sultan Ahmed had also died of cardiac arrest as he was under stress after being named an accused in the Narada tapes scandal of 2017. Sultan Ahmed, a former union minister investigated in the Narada sting scandal involving bribe-taking caught on camera, died of a cardiac arrest in 2017. She also named the wife of Prasun Banerjee, another TMC leader as a victim of the vendetta politics.