 "Saradha probe: Mamata targets Chidambaram over ED probe")
With her party facing the heat in the midst of Lok Sabha elections in Bengal over the Saradha scam, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram of prodding central agencies and targeting Trinamool Congress leaders. Banerjee claimed that the name of Chidambaram's wife had also come up in the scam.
"Since election has come, you have sent the Enforcement Directorate, Chidambaram babu," Banerjee told an election meeting here. "I have heard that your wife's name is there in the Saradha complaint. I have seen the FIR copy... Law will take its own course," the Chief Minister added.
Hit by allegations of links between her party's senior leaders and those responsible for the Saradha chit fund scam, Mamata took the attack to the Congress and the CPI(M) and accused them of failing in their responsibilities. Without naming, she claimed that a Congress MP had written to the Centre seeking investigation into a chit fund company and as soon as the letter was sent, an inquiry was initiated.
"Then this man (owner of the chit fund company) went to meet him (the MP) and asked him to quote a price to withdraw the letter following which he was told Rs 10/15/20 crore. I can reveal the name. I have all documents," Banerjee said.
She alleged that Congress was trying to malign her government and the party would face a disaster in the election and would be voted out of power from the Centre. "Congress, BJP and CPI(M) have joined hands against us and all of them would face a rout in the state after the Lok Sabha elections," she said.
"BJP would get a big zero. They will not get a single seat. Even they will not get Darjeeling (Lok Sabha seat which BJP presently holds)," she said. Hitting out at CPI(M) and Congress for the allegation that her government was colluding with a chit fund company, Banerjee said "Those who themselves are involved are accusing us."
The Chief Minister reminded that the Saradha Group started its business in Bengal during the Left Front regime. Criticising her predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who had accused her government of becoming a symbol of Saradha Group, she said, "Saradha started its business in 2006. Who was the Chief Minister then? Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. It was in 2001 that Buddha babu took over and when did these chit funds started mushrooming?"
"What were they doing all the years when Saradha and other companies came up? Were they sleeping?" "Who was the state finance minister then? Asim Dasgupta. What did they do? Now they are accusing us. Congress has looted the country and is mired in scams. They are raising fingers. They are shameless," the Trinamool Congress supremo said. Training her guns at the Centre, she asked, "As per the law, the central government had to act to prevent these companies from getting license. Were they also sleeping?"
"The Centre cannot deny its responsibility. And the CPI(M) government [erstwhile LF governments in the state], you are the reason this problem has been created," Banerjee said, showing editions of Ganashakti, the CPI(M) mouthpiece and "Dial" its telephone directory, and pointing out that Saradha Group's advertisements were carried in them in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Banerjee also named a newspaper house and two television channels who she said had carried Saradha's advertisements. "Law can not be different, it should be equal," she said adding those who received advertisements from Saradha, should also be dealt with under the law.
Claiming that the Trinamool Congress had never touched any ill-gotten money from any source, Mamata said her government was contemplating legal provisions to bring to book the newspaper house and channels which carried advertisements from chit fund-backed companies.
Stressing that her government was prompt in taking action with regard to the Saradha scam and without naming Saradha Group chairman Sudipta Sen, Banerjee said, "We got him arrested from Kashmir. Police case was initiated and a charge sheet has been filed." Expressing concern that the legislation passed by the Assembly in February to check proliferation of chit funds in the state had yet not received any response from the Centre, she said, "The people of West Bengal are anxiously waiting for the assent (of the President)... and the Centre is responsible for the delay."
"Since election has come, you have sent the Enforcement Directorate, Chidambaram babu," Banerjee told an election meeting here. "I have heard that your wife's name is there in the Saradha complaint. I have seen the FIR copy... Law will take its own course," the Chief Minister added.
Hit by allegations of links between her party's senior leaders and those responsible for the Saradha chit fund scam, Mamata took the attack to the Congress and the CPI(M) and accused them of failing in their responsibilities. Without naming, she claimed that a Congress MP had written to the Centre seeking investigation into a chit fund company and as soon as the letter was sent, an inquiry was initiated.
"Then this man (owner of the chit fund company) went to meet him (the MP) and asked him to quote a price to withdraw the letter following which he was told Rs 10/15/20 crore. I can reveal the name. I have all documents," Banerjee said.
She alleged that Congress was trying to malign her government and the party would face a disaster in the election and would be voted out of power from the Centre. "Congress, BJP and CPI(M) have joined hands against us and all of them would face a rout in the state after the Lok Sabha elections," she said.
"BJP would get a big zero. They will not get a single seat. Even they will not get Darjeeling (Lok Sabha seat which BJP presently holds)," she said. Hitting out at CPI(M) and Congress for the allegation that her government was colluding with a chit fund company, Banerjee said "Those who themselves are involved are accusing us."
The Chief Minister reminded that the Saradha Group started its business in Bengal during the Left Front regime. Criticising her predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who had accused her government of becoming a symbol of Saradha Group, she said, "Saradha started its business in 2006. Who was the Chief Minister then? Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. It was in 2001 that Buddha babu took over and when did these chit funds started mushrooming?"
"What were they doing all the years when Saradha and other companies came up? Were they sleeping?" "Who was the state finance minister then? Asim Dasgupta. What did they do? Now they are accusing us. Congress has looted the country and is mired in scams. They are raising fingers. They are shameless," the Trinamool Congress supremo said. Training her guns at the Centre, she asked, "As per the law, the central government had to act to prevent these companies from getting license. Were they also sleeping?"
"The Centre cannot deny its responsibility. And the CPI(M) government [erstwhile LF governments in the state], you are the reason this problem has been created," Banerjee said, showing editions of Ganashakti, the CPI(M) mouthpiece and "Dial" its telephone directory, and pointing out that Saradha Group's advertisements were carried in them in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Banerjee also named a newspaper house and two television channels who she said had carried Saradha's advertisements. "Law can not be different, it should be equal," she said adding those who received advertisements from Saradha, should also be dealt with under the law.
Claiming that the Trinamool Congress had never touched any ill-gotten money from any source, Mamata said her government was contemplating legal provisions to bring to book the newspaper house and channels which carried advertisements from chit fund-backed companies.
Stressing that her government was prompt in taking action with regard to the Saradha scam and without naming Saradha Group chairman Sudipta Sen, Banerjee said, "We got him arrested from Kashmir. Police case was initiated and a charge sheet has been filed." Expressing concern that the legislation passed by the Assembly in February to check proliferation of chit funds in the state had yet not received any response from the Centre, she said, "The people of West Bengal are anxiously waiting for the assent (of the President)... and the Centre is responsible for the delay."