In what was promptly interpreted as Mamata Banerjee’s desperate attempt to distance herself from former Cabinet colleague and senior Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra, the Bengal Chief Minister on Monday said “anyone who steals money is his responsibility and the party should not be held responsible for that.” The opposition parties immediately decoded her speech saying “this also means that she is indirectly accepting her party’s link with Saradha scam.”
Addressing a public function at Amta in Howrah Banerjee said “a Trinamool worker is expected to lead a simple life. Anyone who shuns struggle for luxurious life style and steals money then it is his problem and the party must not be held liable for that.”
Banerjee’s statements were rea in the light of recent developments with the CBI stepping issuing summons to some Trinamool leaders including one of its general secretaries Shankudeb Panda.
The Chief Minister’s Monday remarks looked like a turnaround from her earlier stance when she not only defended Madan Mitra, Kunal Ghosh and others but also descended on the street to protest against Mitra’s arrest by the CBI. She then said the BJP Government was framing the Bengal Transport and Sports Minister and refused to accept his resignation after he was arrested.
Reacting to the Chief Minister’s statement the BJP said “for the first time she has conceded to the fact that her party men were involved in chit fund scam.” Wondering as to what these “thieves” were doing in her party all these years and why she did not take action against them BJP leader Siddharthnath Singh said “the responsibility lies on the Chief Minister to explain the conduct of her party colleagues.”