CBI probe on Saradha scam: Mamata says guilty will be punished

Putting up a brave front, Mamata Banerjee today sought to play down the impact of the Supreme Court ordering a CBI enquiry into Saradha chit fund scam two days ahead of Monday's last round of polling in the Lok Sabha elections, saying it does not matter to her and that the guilty will be punished.
"Those who have committed wrong will be punished," the Trinamool Congress chief told an election meeting here in Murshidabad district.
"They are thinking that the CBI enquiry was given just two days before before the election. How does it matter to me?" she said referring to the opposition parties training their guns on her party on the Saradha scam.

"Truth will come out. Fire cannot be covered with ashes. They have said whatever they want to," she said.
CBI had not been able to arrest the accused in the Netai killing of nine people in West Midnapore district in February 2011 but it was the state CID which could do so, she said.
The opposition has alleged that Trinamool Congress had close links with Sudipta Sen, chairman of the bust Saradha Group.

Stating that chit funds were governed by the Centre and not the state, Banerjee, the Chief Minister, said "who governs chit funds? It is not under the state government but the central government.

"Why did you sleep for 30 years? This was our complaint. Why did you keep silent during CPI(M) rule?
"I have been saved. They will have to return the money. I was returning the money to the poor from the government fund," she said referring to the Shyamal Sen Commission set up by her government to pay defrauded investors.
Dwelling on action taken by her government in the ponzi scam, she said arrests were made and charge sheets lodged in 286 cases, while the commission set up to refund defrauded investors returned money to four lakh investors and another 2.5 lakh would be refunded.