Kolkata, Feb 9 (IANS): Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's legal team Friday replied to the legal notice slapped by the Trinamool Congressfor questioning the honesty of his successor Mamata Banerjee.
"We have replied to the notice. The reply says none of the remarks that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee made in reply to queries by reporters in television interviews are defamatory or derogatory," said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader's lawyer and former city mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.
Trinamool's notice, sent by lawyer Rajdeep Mazumdar following the directive of party general secretary Mukul Roy, asked Bhattacharjee to apologise publicly within 48 hours for his remarks against the Trinamool chief, failing which the party would start legal proceedings against him in both civil and criminal courts.
The reply was sent by Bhattacharya's junior Rabi Shankar Chatterjee, saying anyone could move the court "at his or her own peril".
Asked to comment in an interview with Bengali television channel Chobbis Ghanta Tuesday on the Trinamool projecting Banerjee as a symbol of honesty, Bhattacharjee replied: "I am unable to agree".
Pressed further, he said: "You conduct a probe into her family condition now as compared to what it was earlier. According to my yardstick, she does not pass the yardstick of honesty."
I can't accept her as being honest. This is no secret. A lot of people close to her know this and they have started talking about it." Asked if he could provide details, Bhattacharjee said: "I am not a drain inspector. You can probe it if you want to.
Trinamool MP and former union minister Saugata Roy stood by Banerjee calling her "the most honest politician in the country".
Ridiculing Bhattacharjee, who had lost his assembly seat in the 2011 assembly polls, Roy said: "He could not even retain his assembly constituency after being the chief minister for over 11 years. He should keep mum for at least five years".
Roy added that some television channels were of late trying to project Bhattacharjee.