KOLKATA: West Bengal leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Monday accused the CBI of lethargy in acting against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Saradha chit fund scam. He wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his intervention.
This comes just a day after many Opposition leaders including Mamata Banerjee had claimed that the BJP-led Centre was going easy on scam-accused persons who had joined the ruling party. “Former TMC leaders Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy were under the ED and CBI scanner in the Narada sting operation case but the cases didn’t progress after they joined the BJP...” the letter said. Mukul Roy has since rejoined the Trinamul Congress.
He alleged that in 2014 there were news reports claiming that promoter of Saradha chit fund, Sudipta Sen, purchased one of Mamata Banerjee's paintings for Rs.1.8 crore.
Linking the Trinamul Congress supremo's association to Saradha Group since she became the railway minister in the UPA-II government, the BJP MLA wondered, "Is this why the CBI is hesitant? Or has the height of her chair made them reluctant to act against her? But wasn't it the primary reason for handing over the investigation to the CBI?"
Adhikari told the PM, "I hope you would consider this plea of the people of West Bengal and see to it that the culprits are punished strictly as per the law of the land."
