Kolkata: In more trouble for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a suspended MLA of her party has challenged the Trinamool Congress chief to set up an internal enquiry into the Saradha chit fund scam.
"The leader who resigned on the issue of Tehelka, on the issue of honesty. If there is one per cent honesty, courage and cleanliness, let them first set up an enquiry committee in the party on chit funds. If they don't do it, it will then prove that she or they are hiding from workers, hiding from people," said Kunal Ghosh was quoted as saying to media.
Ghosh is one of the key accused in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam and was arrested last year. He was arrested shortly after Sudipta Sen, the promoter of Saradha and the alleged kingpin of the scam was also arrested by the CBI.
Ghosh had recently claimed that Banerjee was the biggest beneficiary of the Saradha Group's media operations, which he ran. He sought that he be taken into CBI custody and interrogated along with Sen, and the Chief Minister.
His allegations provided enough fodder the visiting BJP national president Amit Shah to attack Banerjee. Shah alleged at a Kolkata rally that the TMC chief s associates were involved in the scam and said, "No good can come of the politics of tushtikaran (placating). If you can't manage, please step down. BJP will provide good governance to Bengal."
With municipal elections due soon, the Trinamool yesterday fielded party MP and Mamata's nephew Abhishek to defend her. He said at a rally that Banerjee would support as "unbiased investigation" into the Saradha scam.
The Saradha group closed shop across Bengal last year, unable to pay back depositors - mainly poor people in small towns and villages - who had parked their life's savings with the companies, lured by the promise of huge returns.
