CPI-M demands CBI interrogation of Mamata Banerjee

CPI(M) demanded Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee be interrogated by CBI in the wake of the arrest of her party leaders and ministers in the chit fund scam

Salim, however, accepted that due to the dwindling organisational strength of CPI-M the movement expected in the wake of multi crore chit fund scam could not take place

CPI(M) today demanded Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee be interrogated by CBI in the wake of the arrest of her party leaders and ministers in the chit fund scam.

"TMC is the epitome of chit fund corruption. The cat is now out of the bag .... Now the CBI investigation is bringing out the truth," CPI(M) central committee member Mohammed Salim told newsmen here. "Now CBI should interrogate its supremo Mamata Banerjee as she is the head of the big TMC family. So she being the head of the family, she has to answer the questions.

"We want the truth to come out and the money siphoned off by the chit fund companies be returned. We feel that CBI should look into the larger conspiracy as stated by Supreme Court and end the investigation fast as cheated investors are getting impatient," he said.

Mocking the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee yesterday in Delhi, he said it was a "desperate bid" by the West Bengal Chief Minister to scuttle CBI probe in Saradha scam as several TMC leaders and ministers have been arrested or questioned in the case.

He also raised questions about the sale of paintings to Saradha group chairman Sudipto Sen.

Salim, however, accepted that due to the dwindling organisational strength of CPI-M the movement expected in the wake of multi crore chit fund scam could not take place. "Yes it is true that compared to our input in organising the movement against chit fund scam, the output was not according to expectations," he said. The party on the second day of its five-day 24th state conference accepted a draft resolution demanding that money be returned to the defrauded investors by selling the property of those who benefited from the Saradha chit fund scam. It also demanded that the accounts of the defrauded money and the list of those who had benefited from the scam be made public.

The Trinamool Congress leadership has termed the CBI investigation into the Saradha scam as a political conspiracy to malign the party and accused the erstwhile CPI(M)-led Left regime for helping the chit fund scam thrive in Bengal.