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Opposition, money losers step up heat on Mamata over Saradha

by IBNS 11 Sep 2014, 11:31 am

Kolkata, Sept 11 (IBNS) While money losers of the Saradha ponzi scheme took to the streets on Thursday, the opposition CPI-M, Congress and BJP stepped up the heat on Chief Minster Mamata Banerjee even as a woman brigade of the ruling Trinamool Congress squatted before the CBI office here alleging political victimization of the party at the behest of the Modi government at the centre.

"She was a symbol of sotota (honesty) once, now she is a symbol of Saradha," said Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader Manoj Bhattacharjee addressing money losers at a gathering at Esplanade after a march.  

CPI-M leader Sujan Chakraborty said: "We want the money looted from the poor should be returned. We want this money realized from those people who looted it, from not only the owners but also those sitting in Nabanna [political leaders in government at the state secretariat Nabanna], and we want arrest of the big fishes."  

"People had trusted you. People thought you fought for the people wearing a simple white sari. Now it is exposed that Madan [Mitra], Mukul [Roy], Kunal [suspended Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh now in jail] and Asif Khan [ former TMC leader] are your associates. You have no moral right to rule Bengal now," said Chakraborty. 

CPI-M leader Shymal Chakraborty said a few women were set on the CBI by the people behind the scam. 

The money losers of Saradha scam took out a march in Kolkata from College Square to Esplanade organized under left political parties where also Congress leaders participated and spoke.

"She [Mamata Banerjee] fooled the people by wearing a simple sari and a hawai chappal [air sandals] . Now we all know it," said former Trinamool Congress leader Shikha Mitra.

"Now they are scared and sending women brigade to CBI office to protest," said Mitra, who is the wife of leader Somen Mitra, who had joined Trinamool Congress from Congress but soon fell out with Mamata Banerjee. 

The BJP on the other hand held a press conference where they attacked Mamata Banerjee on the Saradha scam. 

A body of the money losers said the action should not be taken only against Saradha but also other chit fund owners and political functionaries. 

Meanwhile, TMC women leader, including Law Minister of the state, Chandrima Bhattacharya, protested before the CBI office. 

"The CBI probe is politically motivated and at the behest of Modi government CBI is veering towards a wrong direction," alleged Bhattacharya. 

Congress leader and MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury ridiculed the squatting before CBI office by Bhattacharya, who once was a critic of Mamata Banerjee, while pointing at Mamata Banerjee as the "queen pin" of the Saradha scam. 

Earlier, suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kunal Ghosh on Wednesday challenged the party to form an  internal probe panel over the  multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

He asked the party to form the panel within 72 hours.

In a letter  read out to the media by his counsel, the suspended MP said: "I am demanding the party to form an organisational probe commission within 72 hours."

He said he will not issue any statement during the '72 hours'.

Ghosh has accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of having benefitted the most from the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

Taking the investigation ahead, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) since Wednesday interrogated Trinamool Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose in connection to the  scam.

Bose, who owns the popular Bengali daily ‘Pratidin’, once employed Kunal Ghosh as the editor of the newspaper.

Ghosh is currently in prison for his alleged involvement in Saradha scam.

Not only that, Srinjoy also heads Kolkata’s century-old iconic Mohun Bagan Athletic Club.

The club’s foremost rival East Bengal Club official Debabrata Biswas was last month arrested by CBI in relation to Saradha ponzi scam.

Apart from Debabrata, two others were till date arrested by CBI in this multi-crore scam- Kolkata-based businessman Sandhir Agarwal and former DGP of West Bengal Rajat Majumdar.

Majumdar is said to have close links to Saradha Group CMD Sudipta Sen, who is currently in jail.

Majumdar, who had worked as Director General (Armed Police) in West Bengal, was believed to be associated with the Saradha Group, which is caught in the chit fund scam worth crores of rupees belonging to the investors.

Majumdar was being treated in a government hospital after he complained of chest pain immediately after his arrest on Tuesday night. He has been discharged now, said latest reports.

The Saradha Group that went bust last year left lakhs of depositors in a fix.  

Saradha Group chief Sudipta Sen and Saradha Group director Debjani Mukherjee were arrested in April 2013 from Jammu and Kashmir.

He was absconding since Saradha Group collapsed.
 
Sen had claimed that he was blackmailed and used by politicians mainly from Banerjee's Trinamool Congress.