The ruling Trinamool Congress remained tight-lipped on revelations made by Gautam Kundu the president of Rose Valley Group regarding his meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Dello Bungalow in December 2012.
late on Tuesday evening Kundu conceded for the first time that he had given a courtesy call to Banerjee at Dello in Kalimpong town of Darjeeling district. The investigating agencies have already taken note of Kundu’s claim, sources said.
If this is proved then the CBI currently investigating the multi-crore Saradha chit fund fraud would get some clue on Banerjee’s alleged presence at Dello as has oft been claimed by jailed Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh and others. He had alleged that Banerjee had a mid-night meeting with Sen where the latter had promised her a huge publicity through his media networks for her prime ministerial ambitions.
“I had gone to meet the honourable Chief Minister which was very much within my rights as the owner of a media company at Dello bungalow. I was holidaying in Darjeeling and it was a courtesy call” Kundu said. The same night Sudipto Sen had been to the said bungalow it has been alleged.
Though the meeting had allegedly taken place in a December night in 2012 the CM had feigned ignorance about the presence of Saradha’s chit fund business and had denied any information about Sen’s shady activities saying she only came to know about everything on April 2013 after Sen fled downing the shutters of his company which had defaulted on the payment to his depositors.
Kundu also told the media that actor-turned Trinamool MP Tapas Paul was a director in his company’s film division. In fact Paul was among the firsts to write to Banerjee about the ongoing chit fund frauds. Agency sources said though Paul acted as an apparent whistle blower his letter to the Chief Minister against other chit fund companies could be the result of a competition among the ponzi dealers.
In a related development jailed Trinamool MP Srinjoy Bose was on Wednesday granted bail on health grounds. Bose who was in jail since his arrest in connection with his involvement in the Saradha case was in hospital and was granted conditional bail by the designated Judge.
His passports and other documents would be deposited and he would not leave Kolkata the Judge ordered. He would also be required to visit a police station every day and appear before the CBI whenever called upon to do so.