Opposition demands Mamata's resignation over Mitra's arrest

The opposition in West Bengal Friday hit out at Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and demanded her resignation following the arrest of Transport Minister Madan Mitra in the Saradha chit fund scam.

While the Congress demanded Banerjee should step down as chief minister, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed the CBI probe in the multi-crore-rupee scandal will eventually lead to the chief minister's doors.

Claiming that many more Trinamool leaders would soon be arrested, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Banerjee should step down as chief minister and, along with her party leaders, should face grilling by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"Everybody, including Mitra and the party leadership, knew his arrest was imminent. Why only Mitra, many more from the Trinamool will soon be behind bars," Chowdhury said.

"Banerjee, who used to portray herself as the symbol of integrity, has her image sullied. Her integrity now lies in tatters. If she has even as an iota of integrity, she should immediately step down as chief minister and along with the entire Trinamool leadership should face CBI grilling," he added.

S.N. Singh, BJP national secretary and party in-charge for Bengal, alleged the involvement of the entire Trinamool leadership in the scam.

"The path that is now visible leads to the doorstep of Mamata Banerjee and it has become evident that she and the entire Trinamool party is involved in the scam," he said.

Taking a jibe at Banerjee, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Manab Mukherjee said the onus was now on the BJP-led central government to ensure that the bigger fish involved in the scam are apprehended.

"Banerjee no more make claims about her integrity, but the onus is now on the BJP government to ensure that the bigger names, the bigger fish, are netted sooner than later," Mukherjee said.