Left demands Mamata's arrest in Saradha, seeks to meet Modi

Demanding CBI interrogation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Saradha scam, the opposition Left Front Tuesday said it has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an appointment.

Addressing a left rally during the day demanding arrest of those involved in the multi-crore scam, Left Front chairman Biman Bose said it was imperative to grill and arrest Banerjee with two of her Trinamool Congress MPs behind bars and several others having been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the scam.

"Two of their MPs have been grilled by the CBI, then why can't the Trinamool supremo be questioned? We demand that the CBI should immediately interrogate and arrest the chief minister," Bose demanded.

"The CBI and the central investigating agencies should find out who all have benefited from the Saradha scam," he said, referring to the arrests of Trinamool Rajya Sabha members Kunal Ghosh and Srinjoy Bose.

Asserting that it was the responsibility of the central government to identify and punish those involved in the Saradha scam, leader of opposition and Communist party of India-Marxist politburo member Surjya Kanta Mishra has written to Modi seeking an appointment.

"I want to remind him (Modi) that before the elections, the prime minister had said he would take action against all those involved but six months have passed since the government came into power, but the main culprits are yet to be arrested," Mishra told media persons.

In his two-page letter, Mishra has sought an appointment with Modi preferably between Dec 21-23 to discuss the possible alternatives and the modalities to resolve the Saradha issue.

Mishra, in his letter, also alleged that the Banerjee government of trying to pressurise the investigating agencies.

"It is now manifested that the state government and the political personalities who might be the beneficiaries have been trying to put pressure upon the agency. We have reasons to believe the West Bengal government is not serious about the preventive measures for the future too," Mishra said in the letter.

Meanwhile, the Left legislators have also published a book titled "Ebar Jawab Chai (Now We Want Answers)" concerning the various issues raised by them in the state assembly on which they have not got the answers.

The Left had earlier published two books titled "Jawab Mele Nia (Have Not Got Answers Yet)" targeting the Trinamool government.