Trinamool demands Amit Shah's apology over Saradha claims

Kolkata, Dec 3 (IAS) With the Centre Wednesday appearing to contradict Amit Shah's claim that Saradha chit fund money was used to finance terrorist activities, West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress demanded an apology from the BJP chief and threatened to take recourse to law.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh, in a reply to the Lok Sabha, said investigation in the Saradha chit fund case has so far not revealed any transaction where money was routed to Bangladesh to fund terrorist activities.

"The investigation has so far not revealed any such transaction where money was routed to Bangladesh to fund terrorist activities. The matter was under investigation," Jitendra Singh said in a sharp contrast to Amit Shah's earlier claims.

Reacting to the development, Trinamool leader and West Bengal Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee said: "The lies of the BJP have been exposed. Amit Shah must apologise. Trinamool is mulling legal action against him for his comments."

Trinamool parliamentarian Sudip Bandopadhyay too demanded a public apology from Shah.

"Amit Shah should apologise for making wild allegations. He should at least admit that there was not an iota of truth in his statement," Bandopadhyay said in New Delhi.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also hit out at Shah.

"I never speak without evidence. I know my boundaries. Some people think they can say anything they want just because a section of the media is supporting them," Banerjee said at a public rally in Jalpaiguri district.

Addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party rally in Kolkata Nov 30, Shah claimed that money from the multi-crore-rupee Saradha scam was used in the Oct 2 Burdwan blast, in which Bangladeshi militants were involved, and accused the Banerjee government of hindering the blast probe undertaken by the National Investigation Agency.

"When the probe started into who funded the Burdwan blast, you will be surprised to know that the Saradha chit fund money was used," Shah had said.