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CBI demands Trinamool's income details

by IBNS 10 Mar 2015, 10:26 am

Kolkata, Mar 10(IBNS) After a series of arrests and interrogations of Trinamool Congress leaders, the CBI, probing chit fund scams, has knocked on the door of the West Bengal's ruling pary, asking for details of its income from the sale of paintings by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and from donations and advertisements.

Reports said the central agency emailed a letter in this regard on March 3 to  Mukul Roy, who was till recently the party's General Secretary before being sacked.

Owning no responsibility for replying the CBI queries, Roy has said, "I am no longer the party's General Secretary. The answer may be given by the person who is now holding the post."

The CBI move came in the aftermath of its raids on the offices several chit fund companies, including the Rose Valley group, across the country last week.

The query about  the sale of paintings between 2010 and 2014  is significant as a controversy arose over a painting by Mamata Banerjee that was allegedly bought for Rs. 1.8 crore by Saradha chit fund group owner Sudipta Sen,who is now in jail.

 

The agency, which had started probing chit fund affairs by scavenging into the details of the  multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, put under arrest Madan Mitra, an influential minister in the Mamata Banerjee Government and Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha members Kunal Ghosh and Srinjoy Bose. Bose, however, has resigned from the party immediately after his release on bail while Ghosh, now turned into a Mamata baiter, has long been suspended by the party.

The CBI also summoned Mukul Roy to question him in connection with the Saradha scam, which the opposition in West Bengal alleged was the result of ruling party's nexus with the chit fund group.

However, Roy, who remained unscathed told in public after coming out of the CBI office that he will  extend all support to the agency by providing it whatever information he has. This was the beginning of his fast expanding difference with Mamata Banerjee that finally resulted in his ouster from all important posts of the party.
 
Roy had written to the Election Commission on February 10 to explain a donation of Rs. 1.40 crore by Trinetra Consultancy to the Trinamool Congress  before the Lok Sabha elections.