Bengal witnessed a deficit monsoon this year. Notwithstanding it seems to be raining cash from ruling Trinamool Congress leaders’ houses.
There was more embarrassment for the Bengal ruling outfit after the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested Raju Sahani a middle-rung party leader and the Chairman of the Halisahar municipality in North 24 Parganas in the northern fringes of Kolkata for his alleged involvement in chit fund scam.
More than Rs 80 lakh in cash was recovered from his sprawling Hooghly river-side house, sources said. Counting was going on when reports last came in. A country-made gun was also recovered from his house, sources said.
According to sources the CBI raided his house following reports that he had extracted protection money from the owners of a ponzi company allegedly involved in chit fund business. Like many of TMC leaders Sahni too had bank accounts in Thailand sources said adding records to that effect was recovered from his house. Sahni’s case comes close on the heels of ED recovering Rs 50 crore and jewellery worthy many more crores from the apartments of Arpita Mukherjee a close aide of former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee who is presently in jail for his alleged involvement in school-level recruitment scam.
Another senior TMC leader and party strongman Anubrata Mondal too was arrested from Birbhum on charges of cow smuggling and the CBI recovered documents of properties worth several hundred crores from his house and those of his close aides.
Reacting to the latest development CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakrabarty said “it is a stinking government … this government will fall under the weight of its corruption … people will depose them.”
Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury said “the TMC had no moral right to continue in power like this … every department you look into is polluted with corruption.”
BJP state president Sukanto Majumdar said “if this continues then one wonders whether this government will last more than six months.”