 "Rahul rakes up Saradha scam to counter TMC")
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday raked up the Saradha scam issue to corner Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC), even as there were reports that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) might call some party leaders for interrogation in connection with the multi-crore scam.
“Big scams are happening in West Bengal. You all know about the Saradha scam; 20 lakh people have suffered losses,” Gandhi said at a party rally in Shamsi, Malda.
“The Sebi and the ED have been clamouring for action, but the government here is taking no action, rather it is shielding culprits,” he added.
ED, which is probing the matter, recently arrested Saradha promoter Sudipta Sen's wife and son for alleged money laundering . Sen and suspended Trinamool MP Kunal Ghosh are already behind the bars in connection to the scam. There are reports ED may summon as many as eight TMC leaders sometime next week to track the money trail.
“Big scams are happening in West Bengal. You all know about the Saradha scam; 20 lakh people have suffered losses,” Gandhi said at a party rally in Shamsi, Malda.
“The Sebi and the ED have been clamouring for action, but the government here is taking no action, rather it is shielding culprits,” he added.
ED, which is probing the matter, recently arrested Saradha promoter Sudipta Sen's wife and son for alleged money laundering . Sen and suspended Trinamool MP Kunal Ghosh are already behind the bars in connection to the scam. There are reports ED may summon as many as eight TMC leaders sometime next week to track the money trail.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi too attacked Mamata over the Saradha scam during his election campaign in North Bengal recently.
Rahul also raised the issue of irregularities in the appointment of primary school teachers in the state. “The state government is appointing TMC workers instead of genuine candidates as primary school teachers by flouting governmental guidelines," he said.
He dismissed the West Bengal chief minister's claim that the Centre was not providing adequate funds to the state for central schemes.
Raising women's security issue, Gandhi said, "The most number of rapes and atrocities against women happen in Bengal."
While he also accused BJP for introducing communal politics in the state, he mentioned CPI-M to accuse the party of being anti-industry, adding that the Left has now become "irrelevant".
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