Mamata Vs ED: Anand Ranganathan Says 'We Are A Banana Republic & SC Is At Top Of It...' | WATCH

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]I'm seeing your hands over but let others come in now. You know, the big question that is on many people's minds is not every day you hear Supreme Court using this kind of language. And you may believe that this is just temporary that there may be a final order etc. All that is a separate thing. But before us right now is what Supreme Court has said. How much of this is really going to hurt the Trinamool Congress in the people's perception is a big question at this point of time when there's an election underway in West Bengal. No, it will it will hardly matter in West Bengal right now sitting from Calcutta and speaking in your channel. I believe that we have got context also. We have got precedents also. Prior to the 2019 elections Lok Sabha elections in February. That is exactly to be precise.

[00:00:40]Why why are you interfering now?

[00:00:46]Okay. Okay. Pradeep, let him make his point. You can respond. In fact, there are two other panels who've not even spoken. Pradeep, one second. Let Very very Madhav, this this guys they do not want to listen to the facts.

[00:00:57]They are based only on rhetorics and rhetorics. Now, Madhav, very important point for your viewers to understand the context. In 2019 February, the CBI team landed up at the police commissioner Mr. Rajiv Kumar's residence.

[00:01:12]At that time, Mamata Banerjee went in in in to the house of Rajiv Kumar now the TMC MP.

[00:01:20]At that time, he was the police commissioner of Calcutta. She sat on a dharna out there. It was also interfering in the central government agencies work.

[00:01:30]That time the same matter reached to the Supreme Court. And what did the Supreme Court say? That CBI can investigate Rajiv Kumar but at a neutral location of Shillong. That's very clear with us.

[00:01:42]Now, the Supreme Court did not castigate Mamata Banerjee at that time. But they castigated her now. What is the comparison to be made?

[00:01:50]Because there are two points to this entire debate. One is the context that BJP is very much guilty of creating ED, CBI and other agencies.

[00:02:00]>> Mr. Mr. Chaudhary, please look at these visuals.

[00:02:03]What is Mamata Banerjee carrying in her hand? Just a second. Mr. Chaudhary, before you go any further, please I don't know if you can see these visuals on your screen. There is a green file that she is carrying. And that file is supposed to contain some amount of evidence. Now, this is the claim. It is not my claim but it is the claim of the agencies. If you're going to allow for political leaders to intervene in investigations and take data out of it, what is the precedence being set? This is the basic question that Supreme Court is also asking today.

[00:02:27]No, Supreme Court had should have asked the same question in 2019. So, the melodrama that she did this time Did she take out any evidence in 2019? Please tell me.

[00:02:38]Yes. What happened to that case? Rajiv Let let the BJP spokesperson tell us what did the ED CBI >> I'm asking you a question, sir. In this case, there's a direct charge of removing evidence from a location. Was that the charge in Rajiv Kumar's case?

[00:02:53]No. She she interfered and the Calcutta police caught the ED CBI officers hostage for 6 hours.

[00:03:02]>> Okay. Dr. Okay. We're not going any further but let me bring in Dr. Ranganathan. Dr. Ranganathan, is there a comparison between Rajiv Kumar's case in terms of the legal aspect of it as Kamruzzaman Choudhury, you know, is drawing a parallel? Is there a parallel to be drawn in the first place? Please respond.

[00:03:20]Please unmute yourself and speak, Dr. Ranganathan.

[00:03:25]Hi. Good evening, Madhav. Can you hear me now?

[00:03:26]>> Yes. We can now. Please go ahead. Thank you. Good evening and good evening to my fellow panelists.

[00:03:31]I need to make a couple of points briefly because there is another panelist who hasn't spoken.

[00:03:37]What are we discussing out here? Can we at least get one thing to be agreed upon by everyone? That we are a banana republic and the Supreme Court is at the top of it. And I speak with all responsibility because here it is that I'm giving you living proof. Madhav, if you or I were to barge into an active crime scene investigation and flee with an important piece of evidence, what do you think would have happened to us within an hour?

[00:04:09]We would have been thrown in jail. We would have been rotting in jail for more than a month. AND THE SAME SUPREME Court would HAVE SAID NO MERCY. HOW DARE YOU DO THIS? YOU IMPEDE A ONGOING INVESTIGATION, whatever your powers are.

[00:04:24]And out here, the same Supreme Court does not have the guts to put this in an order to castigate, to punish the sitting chief minister at that point of time and merely observes.

[00:04:37]IS THAT WHAT LAW HAS BECOME? I'M SORRY.

[00:04:39]I'M I'M BOILING IN BLOOD BECAUSE THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THERE seems to be two rules. One for us and the other for people WHO HOLD POWER. AND MY DEAR FRIEND SAURABH out here, I hope he agrees with me. He's one of the most erudite people I've met amongst the TMC.

[00:04:56]Would he not at least accept that if HE WERE TO FLEE WITH A FILE, AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF EVIDENCE, RIGHT NOW HE WOULD BE ON THAT PANEL BEHIND BARS. THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE. AND I AM EMBARRASSED to belong to a country where people are just let off for the blatant live on camera crime that they commit ON MERE OBSERVATIONS. THIS IS WORSE THAN A RAP OF A FEATHER ON YOUR KNUCKLE. I'M SORRY.

[00:05:23]Judge lawyer case >> You respond to that. Respond to that, Kamruzzaman Choudhury. Double standards much?

[00:05:29]No, this is not double standards. You know, Madhav, you must be in West Bengal right now. I don't know what the public will be voting for on the 23rd and the 29th. But this is literally a war zone in Bengal right now.

[00:05:42]ED, CBI, income tax, all the paramilitary forces around 3 lakh of them are out on the streets of Calcutta.

[00:05:50]I being a politician of over 20 25 years in Bengal, I have never seen such a unprecedented steps that have been taken by the home ministry.

[00:06:01]I can say directly the home ministry.

[00:06:03]You see the ED, CBI, they should be active the year around. But the perception that we are getting from an opposition point of view, I have no love for TMC, no love for BJP. But the basic question that everybody Is it a fact that the number of cases have been reduced?

[00:06:21]Is it a fact that and I'm reading out from a respected newspaper whose analysis of political violence incidents of the last decade has come out. West Bengal accounts for 59% 59.6 to be specific.

[00:06:33]So, are you surprised that these agencies are there? That security agencies, paramilitary forces are present in huge numbers?

[00:06:40]Never. Never. And have you forgotten the post-poll violence that took place last time around?

[00:06:44]Madhav. Madhav, Election Commission has issued dictats today. Nobody can come.

[00:06:49]My relative, my friends cannot come to my house on the day of polling. I cannot ride a two-wheeler on the day of the polling. For 10 days, all alcohol is banned in the state. There are bulletproof cars roaming around the streets of Calcutta.

[00:07:04]>> liquor ban but what is the problem with liquor ban?

[00:07:06]No. No. Why why have you done that?

[00:07:08]>> liquor ban going on in Tamil Nadu also.

[00:07:11]NO, MY MY MY DEAR SIR, IN THE STATE OF Tamil Nadu also there is a three-day liquor ban.

[00:07:16]No, currently it's on.

[00:07:20]10 DAYS.

[00:07:21]>> [laughter] >> HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BUNDLES of notes and Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Dr. Ranganathan.

[00:07:36]Dr. Ranganathan, you know, he has serious concerns. 10 days liquor is not allowed. He can't meet his relatives.

[00:07:41]What's going on in West Bengal? I appreciate I appreciate Kamruzzaman concern and he's a very dear friend. I PROMISE I WILL SEND YOU THREE bottles of 8 p.m.

[00:07:50]right now.

[00:07:51]No, I don't take. I take Chivas Regal.

[00:07:54]Okay. Okay. Let's not discuss and start endorsing brands, please. That's not the case and it's the 10 p.m. show in any case. But you know, the bigger question over here and let me bring in Pradeep before I bring in the app spokesperson.

[00:08:04]You know, Pradeep Bhandari, the charge over here by the Congress in this case by Congress supporter in this case by the TMC is that the Election Commission is, you know, in some sense it's trying to sort of become a player in this. It's being extra strict with West Bengal. And why is this happening? This is a concern that we see repeatedly being expressed by the TMC and other opposition parties.

[00:08:24]Pradeep.

[00:08:28]Well, it has to, Madhav, because first of all, the Election Commission is working under the jurisdiction and the supervision of the Supreme Court of India whether it is in the SIR process or any other process. Have you forgotten the 2021 post-poll violence where the Calcutta High Court had opined that there is no rule of law but law of the ruler in Bengal. In fact, 59% of the entire cases of violence political violence have happened in the last decade only in the state of West Bengal.

[00:08:55]And the dear fellow from the Congress party which has only 2% vote share in Bengal is contradicting the party line because his own leader which is Adhir Ranjan Choudhury has admitted that under Mamata Banerjee, political opponents are targeted, booths are captured. Have we forgotten the Panchayat polls where we saw the visual of a man belonging to Trinamool Congress taking a peटी and running away from the polling booth. So, he's speaking about liquor brands. It is unfortunate he's not even spoken once about the Bengal's Ma Mati Manush which want a free and fair poll. And a free and fair poll is a constitutional right that the people of Bengal need to have.

[00:09:29]And this is what the Election Commission is doing under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. And if the Congress party believes it is incorrect, then the Congress party should further go and challenge it in the Supreme Court. In fact, the Congress spokesperson has contradicted Rahul Gandhi. Okay.

[00:09:43]I think that's an important point. I'd love to bring