"Followed party's line": Riju Dutta says 'sorry' to IPS Ajay Pal | Watch

Former All India Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Riju Dutta issued an unconditional apology to IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma after being suspended from the party for six years over alleged anti-party remarks. In a video statement, Dutta said the controversial remarks he had made about the IPS officer were spoken while functioning as an official spokesperson of the party and following the party line from the Trinamool Congress headquarters.

Dutta stated that the video clip, which later went viral across the country, had originally been released through the official social media handles of the Trinamool Congress. He claimed that the comments were not personal in nature and asserted that similar remarks had earlier been made publicly by senior party leaders, including Abhishek Banerjee and Rajeev Kumar. He further clarified that the video had not been recorded or circulated from his personal social media accounts.

In his statement, Dutta said that after his suspension from the party, he became the sole target of criticism over the remarks. He claimed that several senior BJP leaders from Uttar Pradesh had contacted him and informed him that responsibility for the comments was now being directed entirely at him. He also said he had consulted his legal advisers regarding the matter.

Dutta subsequently offered an unconditional apology to IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, stating that he did not wish to continue the controversy further. He said that although the remarks were made in his role as a party spokesperson and not as a personal attack, he apologised for the language used against the IPS officer. He added that he hoped the apology would bring an end to the anger and controversy surrounding the issue.

The suspended spokesperson also stated that he was no longer associated with any political party and wished to live peacefully as an ordinary citizen. He said he wanted to continue earning a livelihood and live with his family without further political conflict. The Trinamool Congress had earlier suspended Dutta, along with two other spokespersons, for six years following internal disciplinary action after the party’s defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.