Abhishek Banerjee's comment does not tantamount to contempt of court :TMC

Trinamool Congress on Monday came out in support of its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's comment on the judiciary and said it does not tantamount to contempt of court. Senior TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya said anyone can speak about the judiciary and slammed Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar for "trying to score brownie points" on the issue.

"Abhishek Banerjee had not said any thing which tantamount to contempt of court. He spoke about the judiciary. Anyone can talk about the judiciary. There is a saying that justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done" Bhattacharya, a member of the Mamata Banerjee's council of ministers, told a press conference in Kolkata.

Her comments followed Banerjee's remarks at a rally in Haldia on Saturday, where he lashed out at "one per cent of the judiciary" for ordering a CBI probe in every case in the state.


She also hit out at Dhankhar for criticising Banerjee over his comments and said he has "crossed the red line".

"His (governor's) comments should not be taken seriously. We all know what sort of lawyer he was ... He is just trying to score brownie points," Bhattacharya said.

Dhankhar had said on Sunday that Banerjee had "crossed the red line" by criticizing the judiciary and "constitutional authorities in the state are under attack".

TMC said on Sunday the governor's "selective concern for legality in West Bengal exposes his contradiction and detachment from the actual reality".

"We have always respected the judiciary but will never bow down before central government's active interference in matters favouring its agenda," the party had tweeted.