Zee Media Bureau
Kolkata: In what could spell trouble for Mamata Banerjee, a CD has emerged in which suspended TMC MP Kunal Ghosh is seen claiming that West Bengal Chief Minister knew about the Saradha chit-fund scam but she chose to keep quiet.
In an undated video recording in possession of Zee Media Corporation (ZMC), Ghosh has claimed that Saradha`s media arm was set up with "the motto to promote Banerjee as the country`s next prime minister".
ZMC does not confirm the authenticity of the CD. Kunal Ghosh - suspended from the party for anti-party activities - is also an alleged accused in the scam; he was arrested on November 23 and a court later remanded him in police custody for five days.
Despite having information about the scam, the West Bengal CM did not take any action in this regard, said Ghosh in the CD.
Ghosh raised uncomfortable questions, he said, "If Sudipta Sen, the owner of this Saradha-controlled media channels, is behind bars, who is running these channels? What is the format? Where is the finance? Whose interests are they serving?".
"I admit I had taken up the media job offer. But it is wrong to put the blame on only my shoulders," he adds.
Earlier, in a post on Facebook hours after his arrest, Ghosh had named 12 high-profile people including Mamata Banerjee, party general secretary Mukul Roy and state Sports Minister Madan Mitra.
Ghosh said he was cooperating with the investigation, and made himself to police whenever he was summoned. "But police will not take my help. The case is being set up to protect several people."
Sudipta Sen, however, said that the persons named by its arrested media CEO Kunal Ghosh had no link with the company.
Ghosh, the CEO of Saradha`s media arm, has been charged under Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 120B (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) following a case filed by a general manager of Broadcast Worldwide - which was a part of the Saradha media empire.
Meanwhile, the Left Front has accused the West Bengal government of "shielding the perpetrators" of the biggest financial scandal to hit the state.
The scandal came to light in April when the company closed shop across West Bengal, unable to pay back the depositors, mainly poor people in small towns and villages, who had parked their life`s savings with the group, lured by the promise of huge returns.
reiterates his allegations, naming the same set of people he had blamed in a Facebook post while in police custody, on Saturday night.
Disclaimer
‘This statement is made by TMC MP Kunal Ghosh solely. We don’t have any view on this. Keeping in mind the gravity of the SHARADA CHIT FUND SCAM where thousands of common people were duped, we are airing this in the interest of Public at large.’
