SHILLONG, Dec 13: Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Saket Gokhale on Tuesday said he will continue to defame Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong if the latter is a thief, as thieves have no reputation.
He threatened to expose other cases of corruption after the Meghalayan Age.
“You cannot defame somebody who is already infamous for looting. The government is desperate. I personally have on numerous occasions asked the government to come for a debate. If they want evidence, we will produce it,” Gokhale said, reacting to the defamation suit filed against him by the state government.
“Have a debate if you have the guts and you got nothing wrong. But if you are a thief and have defamed the state of Meghalaya, put as many lawsuits. I will defame you because you are defaming the people of Meghalaya and looting from the people of Meghalaya,” he said.
The TMC leader said thieves have no reputation and there is no question of defaming a thief.
He also said that the Deputy CM called him a “psycho” but the government filed a defamation suit against him.
“I have filed a counter suit against him but look, who will file a defamation case against this government for defaming the state of Meghalaya?” he asked.
Stating that the government has to explain when a scam is exposed, he said as this government has no explanation to give, it filed a defamation suit against him to intimidate him.
“These suits do not scare us. I spent the last entire week in a lock-up in Gujarat and this kind of petty tactic doesn’t scare me,” Gokhale said.
He threatened that corruption in various departments will be exposed and the government will have to give an answer.
On the Deputy CM calling him a psycho, he said, “I am happy to submit myself to Tynsong for a psychological evaluation if, in return, he agrees to come and sit down and have a debate and not go into some corner like a coward.” Throwing down a gauntlet, Gokhale said if he is found wrong after the debate, Tynsong can file a suit against him but the Deputy CM must resign before elections if he is found wrong.
Gokhale claimed he has enough documents to substantiate the charges he made.
“Accountability should be demanded from the government but the government is scared of accountability. We have been asking for a debate. We have highlighted the issues but they don’t answer to the press and the Opposition,” the TMC spokesman said.
“The government should be asked to come clean and tell us what happened to the Chinese meters; what’s happening in the MeECL. Tell us what is happening in the Meghalayan Age,” he said, adding, “They don’t want to give the answers because the super CM of Meghalaya Vijay Kumar has been clearly implicated this time.”
“This government has gotten scared, so the Chief Minister is trying to protect the super Chief Minister which is quite sad. Now there is one super Chief Minister sitting in Guwahati and there is another Super IAS Chief Minister sitting here and the Chief Minister only takes orders from them directly,” he added.
