In yet another sting embarrassment for the ruling Trinamool Congress, Mayor of Bidhannagar-Rajarhat Municipal Corporation Sabyasachi Dutta has proudly conceded before a concealed camera that he is a fountainhead of the dreaded Syndicate-Mafia Raj worth several hundred crores.

What is more when Dutta, also an MlA was confronted by the media he owned up his version saying, “like others I will not disown what I said, neither will call it a sting operation because I had already gone on record in the State Assembly that there is no way we can do away without the syndicates which were once conceived by the left Front Government. This is because there is no harm in arranging for bread and butter of thousands of unemployed youth associated with the syndicates.”

Dutta was shown in the video footage telling the second person that there was no way that syndicates could be touched because they have 20,000 members and “Government will fall if action is taken against them.”

The BJP has approached the Election Commission with a demand to cancel the candidature of Dutta who is contesting from Rajarhat Assembly constituency.

During the elections the syndicates not only provide the ruling outfit with “goon power” but also arrange for funds as is shown in the footage where Dutta concedes that for an Assembly elections one needs Rs 50-60 lakh. “I can provide

Rs 5 lakh, the party allocates another Rs 5 lakh. The rest is provided by the syndicate” he says adding in lieu he has to “look after” their interests for four years and 364 days — save the election day.

Such syndicates with political patronage have been functioning throughout the State. “The Kolkata flyover accident is a direct result of syndicate raj” says CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakrabarty adding “at least two MlAs and an MP’s name has got involved directly in the accident. The syndicates run by them supplied substandard material and labour in the construction work.”

“We have approached the ECI with a demand to cancel the candidature of this leader who proudly introduces himself as a promoter of syndicate-mafia raj that has eaten into the vitals of Bengal and also says that syndicate money is directly being used in elections” said State BJP leader JP Majumdar.

The Trinamool had of late been hugely stung by the Narada expose where a dozen of his leaders were caught on camera taking bribes from a journalist posing as a fictitious businessman.

Meanwhile, the Narada news had on Tuesday submitted an affidavit in the Calcutta High Court claiming the footage of the sting operation is genuine. A PIl was filed in the court seeking an order to examine the genuineness of the video tapes. The next date of hearing is on April 8.