Mamata should be questioned in Saradha scam: Surjya Kanta Mishra

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Surjya Kanta Mishra today demanded that all those named by arrested Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, be interrogated in connection with Saradha Group ponzi scam.     

Ghosh's outburst on a video CD, recorded before his arrest on Saturday last in which he mentioned the names of several top leaders of the Trinamool Congress including the Chief Minister and party general secretary Mukul Roy, was telecast by a local TV channel yesterday.     

"Since her name has emerged in the case along with several other party leaders, Mamata Banerjee should be questioned in the Saradha ponzi scam," Mishra told reporters here. "Why the CM alone? Each of those named by Ghosh should be questioned and if required, any of them could be arrested," Mishra said. "We are not demanding her resignation, but she should come clean," Mishra said adding, "There should not be two rules for different groups of people in a single crime. If the Chief Minister of Karnataka or Union ministers could be arrested, what is the problem here?" Mishra also demanded a CBI probe into the multi-crore scam under the supervision of the Supreme Court to unravel the truth. "If Mamata Banerjee is a symbol of honesty, why is she so worried about facing the situation?" Mishra wondered. After Ghosh disclosed the names of several persons, including the Chief Minister, in his Facebook post hours after his arrest on Saturday last, questions were raised about how a person in police custody could do so.     

"The telecast of Ghosh's outburst on a local TV channel last evening only proved the points raised by him and the people whose names figured in the case should be questioned," Mishra added.     

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Subhendu Adhikari dubbed the allegations made against him by Ghosh as "totally baseless, fabricated and politically motivated" to malign him and said he has served a legal notice to him. "The allegations made by him are false, fabricated and politically motivated. I have already sent a defamation notice and I will fight it out in the court," Adhikari told reporters in Kolkata.