In what Mamata Banerjee saw a retaliatory fire by the Narendra Modi Government to neutralise her anti-demonetisation campaign, the CBI on Friday arrested cine star-turned-Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Paul for his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley chit fund case.

Notwithstanding the huge blow suffered by the Bengal ruling outfit, Banerjee put up a brave face while charging Prime Minister with “playing vendetta politics” and warned that “even I can resort to such tactic by calling your people for talks and arresting them in one second.”

Making direct reference of Union Minister Babul Supriyo and BJP MP Rupa Ganguli “who had also accepted the hospitality of Rose Valley” group Banerjee asked whether the CBI would take same steps against them.

Attacking the Prime Minister for his “anti-people policies” she said “Modi and BJP hate poor people. They hate SC-ST, minorities as brutal attacks mounted on the poor in Gujarat may prove.” She added her movement against the Centre’s anti-people decisions like demonetisation would continue and intensify.

Threatening a “similar action” by her own Government against the BJP leaders she said, “I can also resort to such nefarious politics. It will take one second to arrest them. But the question is will I bite a dog if it does so to me!”

Wondering whether the Centre would take similar actions against others she said, “Pearl Investment Group the country’s biggest chit fund company is the next door neighbour of the Finance Ministry. There are many such companies spread in Punjab and other regions that enjoy political patronage” asking, “why are they not arresting those involved with these companies.”

“They have arrested one of our MPs today. I have relevant papers with me and I know they are targeting another 7-8 people but even if they arrest all of us we will not be afraid and continue our movement,” she said appealing to the people of Punjab, UP, Goa and “all those States where elections are going to be held in near future not to vote the BJP.”

She added “BJP is a (khatarnak) dangerous party and will be voted out of power.”  By mentioning “another 7-8 people” a visibly hot and bothered Chief Minister seemed to stop short of referring to senior TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay who is scheduled to appear before the CBI next week in the same case. Bandopadhyay has till now ignored three previous CBI notices in the same case.

The Agency has sent summons also to Shatabdi Roy another star-turned TMC MP in the ponzi case.

Earlier Paul was arrested after four hours of intense grilling when he was “asked to explain a few questions which he failed to do satisfactorily,” sources said adding the once Bengali matinee idol was taken into custody after a clearance came from Delhi.

The MP has been charged with accepting cash “on various occasions” from Rose Valley Group charged with chit fund embezzlement worth Rs 17,000 crore. Besides, the investigators have found evidence of fund transfer from Rose Valley account to his account in 2011-2012.

This was the same year when (his party came to power in Bengal) Paul a sitting MP wrote letters to SEBI and RBI alerting them against chit fund companies raising money illegally. Curiously though in his letters he did not mention the name of Rose Valley of which he was one of the directors. He was the director of its film division which he left subsequently.

Inspite of his quitting Rose Valley he allegedly accepted money from the Group. When asked he could not give satisfactory answers to such transactions, sources said adding the letters thus “written to the SEBI or RBI could be a tactic to eliminate the competitors like Sharada and others from the market.” He not only endorsed the Group as brand ambassador but also accepted its hospitality and other facilities including vehicles etc, list of charges brought against him allege.

However the Chief Minister wondered whether being brand ambassador of a company was a crime. She said “even Amitabh Bacchhan, Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra are brand ambassadors. By doing so have they committed a crimeIJ”

Investigators said Paul was “hiding many things more than what he is telling. He could lead the Agency to the names of other influential persons who had endorsed the chit fund group through him.”

Incidentally Paul, the TMC MP from Krishnagore, hit the national headlines for threatening CPI(M) members from his constituency of sending “my boys to your house and getting your women raped.”

Reacting to Banerjee’s charges post Friday’s development BJP State president Dilip Ghosh said “another MP who has been summoned will too be arrested” adding “this arrest was long overdue. The CPI(M) in its part explained the delayed arrest in terms of “match-fixing between Trinamool and BJP as they needed each other in Rajya Sabha.”