Bengal CM defends Mukul, Madan; says agency planning to frame them
In an apparent betrayal of unease over the speed and direction of the CBI probe into the multi-crore ponzi fraud, a fidgety Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banjeree circuitously put forward the names of her close associates, allegedly to save herself, even as she told a galaxy of Trinamool leaders on Monday that a plan had been hatched by vested interests to frame two senior party leaders Mukul Roy and Madan Mitra in the Saradha scam.
Amid fears that some influential Trinamool leaders could soon be grilled by the CBI for their alleged role in the ponzi deals, the Chief Minister spilt the beans well in advance, alleging that the “conspirators are hatching a plot to frame our leaders” and vowed to stand by them firmly.
This even, as party MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee made a bizarre move in the Supreme Court alleging a motive in the CBI probe as it was concentrating solely on the Saradha chit fund scam instead of investigating all such scams together as had been directed by the apex court.
The State Government, which had appointed a SIT headed by State DGP GMP Reddy to probe the multi-crore fraud, had earlier spent a whopping Rs 11 lakh to fight lawsuits in order to prevent a CBI investigation until the Supreme Court smelt a rat and directed the Central investigating team to take up the probe.
On the sidelines of an organisational meeting held at her Kalighat residence to oversee the preparations for the crucial Kolkata Corporation elections scheduled to be held a few months from now, the Chief Minister told her party colleagues how a team of conspirators (read CBI) were “hatching a plot to implicate both Mukul and Madan in the Saradha scam” and added she would not allow that to happen, party insiders said.
While Roy the former Railway Minister and a Rajya Sabha member is considered the number two person in the Trinamool Congress shouldering the organisational responsibilities, Mitra a State Minister is also a senior party functionary currently handling the Transport and Sports portfolios.
“The conspirators are hatching a plan to paint Mukul and Madan as thieves. They are trying to arrest them. But we will not let that happen and expose all those who are behind this,” Banerjee said adding “I do not believe in such wild allegations” Banerjee said much in the same way she had vouched more than a year ago for her jailed party MP Kunal Ghosh asking in a public meeting “is Kunal a thiefIJ Is Madan a thiefIJ Am I a thiefIJ”
The party firmly stood behind the leaders she said even as Kalyan Banerjee moved the Supreme Court drawing its attention towards how the CBI was focusing solely on the Saradha scam instead of taking a wholesome view involving other groups as well. The court would hear the petition after four weeks.
Meanwhile, sources in the CBI said plans were afoot to send summons to at least 2-3 “very senior and influential persons.” This apart from fresh summons being issued to famous painter and close Mamata-aide Subhaprasanna who had reportedly used Banerjee’s clout in the then Information and Boradcasting Ministry to seek licence of a television channel and later sold it to Saradha chief Sudipto Sen for a far higher price.
Reacting to Banerjee’s comments, BJP leader Tathagato Roy wondered “why she is so perturbed by the probe against SaradhaIJ” “Did the multi-crore scam not ruin lakhs of families forcing many to commit suicideIJ Was a huge chunk of that money not used to plot terrorIJ”
Congress’ Abdul Mannan likened the Trinamool leadership to “dacoits” saying “it is like one dacoit telling why the police are not catching the others.” CPI(M)’s Bikas Bhattacharya said the “CBI has indeed taken action against other groups like Rose Valley and the MPS.”