Calcutta, March 21: Shankudeb Panda earned his ticket to Trinamul after conducting the first sting operation in Bengal politics on then Nandigram CPI MLA Mohammad Ilyas in 2007. Nine years later, he has tasted the same medicine.

A sting by news portal Narada News purportedly shows Panda speaking to some agents and seeking a "stake" in their businesses in Bengal.

Panda, a journalist-turned-politician, went on to become the state president of Trinamul Chhatra Parishad. He is currently one of the state general secretaries of the party.

A clip also featured an image resembling Aparupa Poddar, a first-time Trinamul MP from Hooghly's Arambagh.

Narada News had a week ago released the first set of tapes with images resembling 11 senior Trinamul leaders and a senior IPS officer.

"Student leader, new MP, veteran politician... everyone is corrupt," the CPM's Mohammad Salim said.

Some Trinamul leaders, requesting anonymity, almost echoed Salim's views. "The list seems to be getting longer.... I don't know where will it stop," a Trinamul MLA said.

The ruling establishment had initially "dismissed" the sting operation last week. But after the issue was raised in the Lok Sabha, sources said Mamata Banerjee ordered a gag on her party leaders, making rebuttals through written statements that say the images are "manufactured".

Trinamul spokesperson Derek O'Brien issued a statement this evening after Narada released the purported images of Panda and Poddar. "This is nothing but dirty political vendetta. This is the cheap politics of black money and blackmailing. This is the politics of opponents with zero credibility. This is the politics of political parties who already know they have lost the elections. This is the politics of losers who will soon be clean-bowled by the people. Trinamool is not afraid. Thanda matha cool cool. Bengal is with Trinamool," it read.

O'Brien's statement made no mention of whether the clips were doctored or "manufactured".

The Narada sting has given the Opposition enough fuel to attack the ruling establishment in the run-up to the polls. The CPM, BJP and the Congress have raised the issue in Parliament and in their poll campaigns.

Trinamul's response to Narada is in sharp contrast to what the then ruling Left Front had done with Ilyas.

The late Speaker, Hashim Abdul Halim, had directed Ilyas to leave the Assembly premises and ordered a probe. Ilyas later stepped down as MLA and in the by poll in 2009, Trinamul won the seat.

"He had framed me without any valid reason.... He is paying a price for that," an ailing Ilyas said today.

Repeated calls to Panda's phone since the release of the tapes remained unanswered.

Contacted, Trinamul MP Poddar said: "I don't know anything. Nothing of this sort has happened with me."

Later, while talking to ABP Ananda, Poddar demanded a central probe. "I will tell the Centre to complete a probe in a week's time. If this is proved true, I will resign," she told ABP Ananda.

"For free and fair elections, many people give donation. I don't know about this," she added, without explaining.

Asked about the tapes released today, state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said: "It's now clear that corruption is the foundation on which Trinamul is built. I believe all its MPs and ministers are involved in corrupt practices and a proper probe would reveal everything."

CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said central agencies should start a probe immediately.

"It has to be found out who is the captain of this team? One after the other Trinamul leaders are getting caught on camera taking cash," Mishra said.

The Bengal BJP reiterated its demand for Mamata's resignation.

"We demand her resignation once again. We have sought a CBI probe, and the matter has been referred to the Lok Sabha ethics committee. A similar request has been made in the Rajya Sabha," said Joy Prakash Majumdar, a state BJP vice-president.

The Trinamul leadership or the state government is yet to speak on any probe.