Saradha scam: Make inquiry panel report public, says BJP

Describing the Justice Shyamal Sen Commission set up to probe the Saradha scam as a "political gimmick", the BJP Wednesday demanded the West Bengal government to make public the panel's report.

Constituted by the Mamata Banerjee government in 2013, the tenure of the Commission headed by the former chief justice of the Allahabad High Court ended Wednesday.

State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rahul Sinha said the panel was set up by the state government in its bid to thwart the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the multi-crore-rupee scam.

"The commission was not set up only to indemnify duped investors using public money. But the commission has done nothing to sell Saradha properties or identify those involved in the scam despite being empowered to do so," Sinha told media persons here.

"We therefore demand the state government should immediately ask the commission to immediately submit its final report which should then be made public so that we all may know the real purpose behind setting up the panel," Sinha said.

Flaying Mamata Banerjee for setting up the commission to derive political mileage, Sinha also rubbished her claims that her government has indemnified five lakh duped investors.

"She has been clamoring that five lakh people have been indemnified but the fact is the number is far less. The commission in its website says so far it has paid only 3,95,162 cheques.

"Moreover, multiple cheques were paid to the investors. So the actual number of beneficiaries is far less which makes it apparent that the chief minister has been misrepresenting facts," Sinha said.

The Congress too flayed the Sen commission, calling it a tool to shield Trinamool leaders involved in the scam.

"The commission is a farce and was actually constituted to shield Trinamool leaders who are involved in the scam. It's good that its tenure has ended," state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.