Businessman Shibaji Panja —who accompanied West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on her maiden three-day visit to Bangladesh — was arrested in connection with a financial fraud case of Rs18 crore. Panja was arrested at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport immediately after his arrival.
Meanwhile, reacting sharply to the “big embarrassment,” Banerjee attacked the media for peddling “dirty stories.” A visibly incensed CM said, “I should have got you arrested. Feel fortunate that you are not in jail now.” She also condemned “the attitude of the media.”
later, she dissociated herself from Panja, saying: “It is not unusual for businessmen to have cases against them. But how would I know itIJ I have nothing to do with any such case.” Her party colleagues like Derek O'Brien, however, saw a big “political conspiracy” in Panja’s arrest saying it was all done to malign the Trinamool Congress.
Panja, a TV producer and industrialist by profession, had also visited Singapore during Banerjee’s trip to that country. However, the party sources later said that he had gone on his own.
The Immigration Department acted upon a “look out notice”— issued on February 19 — and detained Panja as soon as he landed at the NSI Airport. He was later arrested and was released on bail of Rs 50,000. The case related to him allegedly taking a loan of Rs 18 crore from Industrial Financial Corporation of India by submitting forged documents. Consequently, a case of fraud was also registered by the Economic Offence Wing of the Delhi Police.
Expressing surprise at the way Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress reacted to the whole affair, BJP State president Rahul Sinha said Mamata was prone to telling lies on every issue that could embarrass her. “Here she says that she has nothing to do with the businessman and his affairs and there her own MPs float the conspiracy theory conceding thereby that they are fully acquainted with this man.”
BJP leader and the party’s observer for Bengal, Siddharth Nath Singh said that it was for the Chief Minister to answer as to how a man with questionable conduct could be a part of her delegation to Bangladesh. Panja was one of the biggest fund providers for the Trinamool Congressand his arrest could put the party in a fix, insiders said.
Pradesh Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said that it was “unlikelythat the Chief Minister or her office was not aware of his antecedentsand hence she should have been careful about not taking this man alongwith her because when she is visiting another country she is notvisiting as a Chief Minister only but as an Indian dignitary and arepresentative of India.”
Former CPI(M) MP Sujan Chakrabarty said Panja’s “arrest can open a big secret about how Trinamool Congress raises and distributes its funds.