The Saradha ponzi fund probe tended to take an intriguing turn with a Facebook posting from arrested Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh’s side mentioning 12 people including Bengal Chief Minister Mamata whose “cooperation could be sought” to get to the bottom of the chit fund muddle.
The journalist-turned-MP was on Sunday remanded to five-day police custody by a Bidhannagar CJM Court. The timing of the posting tended to raise quite a few questions as it was placed on the net about three hours after the arrest of Ghosh on Saturday evening, police said.
In a cleverly drafted mail, Ghosh who was on Saturday formally arrested seven months after the scam broke, said he was a victim of a “deep conspiracy” and added the police should take help from those who knew Sudipto Sen and received direct or indirect help from him.
He said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, State Minister Madan Mitra, industrialist Tutu Bose, fellow MPs Srinjay Bose, and Subhendu Adhikary, Samir Chakrabarty, Krishna Chakrabarty, Rajat Majumdar, Asif Khan, Mukul Roy etc could be helpful for the purpose of investigation.
He, however, claimed that he “doesn’t put blame on anyone” adding, “I am just saying that these are respected people and that the police can seek their cooperation and take their help” to unravel the chit fund mystery.
He wondered at the way the police “arrested me after seven months though I was cooperating with them by coming to the police station whenever they called me.” He was questioned on 11 occasions before being arrested.
Curiously he was summoned more frequently by the police after he spoke out openly from a public platform a couple of months ago against the party leadership.
Ghosh who had earlier claimed to have kept important taped inputs with friends in Delhi that would be made public gradually after his arrest had also advised Sudipto Sen to give out the names of people who had benefited from him “failing which I will disclose those names.”
With Ghosh’s revelations hitting the Chief Minister’s ‘integrity’ image — often used so dextrously to win elections) hard the leaders of an enraged ruling outfit reacted in strong measure.
Subhendu Adhikary the Tamluk MP and Banerjee’s Nandigram spearhead on Sunday responded with a contempt notice to Ghosh demanding immediate apology. “Ghosh is taking out his revenge against me as I had earlier asked him to resign his post because his name had appeared in the scam” Adhikary said adding he would bring a libel suit against him if he did not apologise.
In a veiled threat Sports Minister Madan Mitra said “linking of Mamata Banerjee’s with Saradha scam would set Bengal in fire and its flames will leap higher than the one that engulfed the State in 1942. Everyone will be affected.”
He insisted Banerjee would indeed become the Prime Minister “but with the blessings of the people of the country and not with the help of Sudipto Sen’s money.”
Meanwhile, the Opposition left and the Congress lapped up the opportunity demanding CBI inquiry. “The allegations are serious and have come from an MP’s mouth” said Opposition leader Suryakanto Mishra adding “only a CBI inquiry under the supervision of the SC can solve the mystery.”
Congress leader and junior Railway Minister Adhir Chowdhury said, “With fingers pointing at the Chief Minister who also handles the Home Ministry the investigations should be handed over to the CBI.”