Kolkata, Sep 8 : Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Nawsad Siddiqui on Monday filed a defamation case against Trinamool Congress MLA Saokat Molla. Siddiqui filed the case against Canning East MLA at the Bankshall Court in Kolkata.

The ISF legislator said that the Trinamool MLA had accused him of taking money from the BJP to work against the Trinamool Congress.

Siddiqui also alleged that Molla had offered him to join the Trinamool Congress and even promised to get him a ministerial berth in the Mamata Banerjee-led government's Cabinet.

After filing the case, Siddiqui told mediapersons: "Saokat Molla said at one point in his statement said that I took Rs 30 crore from the BJP. He has made false accusation against me. He is defaming my reputation in public domain. I cannot answer the Trinamool MLA's words in his own language. So I am answering in legal language. I am asking Saokat Molla to prove his allegations. He should first tell me in the court when and where I took money from the BJP and whether Rs 500 note or any other denomination was used in that transaction."

Since Siddiqui became an MLA, he has been in loggerheads with Trinamool Congress especially with Molla due to his influence in South 24 Parganas district. He is the lone ISF legislator in West Bengal.

In 2021 Bengal Assembly polls, the Trinamool Congress won all but one Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district.

Out of 31 seats, Trinamool Congress won 30 seats while ISF won one.

Siddiqui was elected from Bhangar constituency.

Since then, Trinamool Congress and ISF engaged in a power struggle in the district with multiple violent crashes were reported since 2021 and especially during the 2023 state panchayat election.

The Trinamool Congress on a number of occasions tried to reach out to Siddiqui and prodded him to join the Mamata Banerjee-led party. The ISF MLA, however, refused to entertain such offers.

Speaking on the latest development, Siddiqui said: "The BJP won 77 seats in Bengal in 2021. Trinamool Congress has no major issues with them. But they have so much of problems after ISF won only one seat. They offered me first to join their party, I rejected it. They filed a false case against me. I served 42 days in jail. Then again I served 24 hours in jail. When I am not bowing down before them, they want to use social media against me where they are making false allegations against me."

He further said that when the Trinamool Congress leaders are unable to fight him politically, they are conspiring to humiliate him socially.

/IANS