Agartala, December 24, 2022: Tripura CPIM Secretary and former MP Jitendra Chaudhury on Saturday sought clarification from the Chief Electoral Officer of Tripura regarding the seized money of Rs 9.36 crores by the enforcement agencies from whom or which establishments.

In a two-page letter to the CEO of Tripura on Saturday, Chaudhury appreciated the renewed venture of the Enforcement Agencies for seizing a huge amount of Rs 9,36,50,449 from different individuals or business organisations of the state by this time.

The CEO on Friday last mentioned that ‘money power’ and ‘muscle power’ are two factors that stand as ‘menace’ against ensuring level playing exercise in any election, he added.

However, CPIM state secretary sought clarification on three points – Nowhere in the communiqué you did clarify whether the money seized is black money or unaccounted money; In what mechanism such huge amount of money was amassed; and Neither did you let the people know, from whom or which establishment these funds were seized.

Chaudhury also said that “As you mentioned that this fund was amassed with an intention to misuse in distorting the normal election process for furthering electoral gains of  any stakeholder, it is the right of the state electorates to know who are the elements intending to influence the people’s opinion by illegal use of money power.”

“Henceforth, for the sake of preserving the credibility of the election authority as well as sensitizing the electorates about the illegal transaction of the money for dubious purposes, I request you to publish the names or business establishments from where this fund was seized”, he mentioned in the letter.