There was more trepidation in the ruling Trinamool Congress ranks as the Central Bureau of Investigation officials on Wednesday raided seven properties of senior Bengal Minister Maloy Ghatak.
The Minister was earlier twice summoned by the central agency in connection with coal smuggling. He however would not show up.
The CBI sleuths raided a number of Ghatak's houses including in Kolkata and Asansol from where he hails.
According to sources the name of Ghatak an MLA from Asansol surfaced during the interrogation of prime accused Vikas Mishra, Anup Maji and others. Vikas Mishra is the younger brother of Vinay Mishra the former vice president of Bengal TMC youth wing.
Vinay Mishra once a close aide of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has allegedly fled the country and is presently in island nation of Bhanuatu. The central agencies have also been questioning Banerjee and his wife in connection with the scam.
The investigation officers who on Wednesday made a surprise entry at Ghatak's official residence reportedly grilled the minister for about five hours.
The Minister cried vendetta. "This is clear harassment and an attempt to malign one's image," the minister said.
Raid on Ghatak's house comes close on the heels of the arrest of his party colleagues Partha Chatterjee (former Education Minister) and Anubrata Mondal (strongman and party national executive member).
"ED, CBI know who were involved in coal smuggling... People too know it ... This is why they are repeatedly electing me," he said adding "I will continue to co-operate with the agencies but at the same time I will continue to remain an ardent follower of my leader Mamata Banerjee," the minister said.
Reacting sharply on the Wednesday's development TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said this was another raid planned by the BJP.
"Though one should not make comments on the issue and allow the law to take its own course one thing is increasingly getting clearer ... The BJP definitely has a hand in these raids," Ghosh said.
"That each raid is preceded by a pre-declaration by some BJP leader only strengthens this claim.. this is not only peculiar to Brngal... The same pattern is being followed all over the country," Ghosh, himself a chit fund accused said.
Meanwhile, the CBI has served a second notice on another TMC MLA Subodh Adhikari. The notice of appearance was served in relation to Sunmarg chit fund scam, sources said adding Adhikari's name came up after the arrest of TMC leader and Halishahar municipality chairman Raju Sahni.
