Sunday , September 7 , 2014
CBI should make CM sit facing Sen and me and question her: KunalMP’s benefit finger at Mamata | |||
| OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT | |||
Calcutta, Sept. 6: Suspended Trinamul MP Kunal Ghosh today stunned the political establishment by demanding in a court that Mamata Banerjee be brought face to face with Saradha boss Sudipta Sen and himself and questioned by the CBI. “If the question is about conspiracy, then everyone who had known Sudipta Sen should be called for interrogation. The chief minister of the state should be made to sit face to face with me and Sudipta Sen and interrogated by the CBI,” said Ghosh, who used to head Saradha’s media wing. Later in the afternoon, while getting off a police van at the CBI’s Salt Lake office, Ghosh dropped another bombshell: “If there is anyone who has enjoyed most of the benefits, directly or indirectly, from Saradha Media, it is Mamata Banerjee.” Never before has a one-time “insider” made such charges against Mamata, who has built a seemingly impregnable fortress around her on a foundation of personal probity. Worse, Ghosh has thrown a direct challenge — that too from a court of law — to the chief minister to put herself under scrutiny and prove her innocence. The repercussions were apparent within less than an hour. Around 2.30pm, Trinamul leader Partha Chatterjee defended the chief minister and warned the media against spreading “canards”. Around 1.45pm, Ghosh had sprung the joint-interrogation proposal while representing himself in the special CBI court in Dalhousie. Ghosh was produced in the court in a case related to Saradha Realty. The central agency prayed for his custody. The journalist-turned-MP surprised many by telling the judge that he was not seeking bail even after spending 87 days in custody. “Those who are holding programmes one after another, please don’t spare them,” Ghosh pleaded with the court. After hearing Ghosh, judge Arvind Mishra sent him to CBI custody till September 12. Ghosh left the court premises sporting a smile. The week, which had begun badly for Mamata with the disclosure of a railway arrangement with Saradha when she was the Union minister, has ended on a worse note for her. Trinamul leader Chatterjee said Ghosh had realised he would be punished for what he had done. “Khorkutor moto tai Mamata Banerjee ke dhore banchte chaichhe (He’s, therefore, trying to save himself by taking Mamata Banerjee’s name, like a drowning man clutches at straws),” Chatterjee added. But the party cannot camouflage how Mamata had gone out on a limb to defend Ghosh before they fell foul of each other. On May 3, 2013 — soon after the Saradha scandal broke — Mamata was quoted as telling a closed-door meeting of the party: “Kunal chor? Madan chor? Tumpai chor? Mukul chor? Aami chor? Sabai chor? Baki ra shob sadhu (Is Kunal a thief? Is Madan a thief? Is Tumpai a thief? Is Mukul a thief? Am I a thief? Are all of us thieves? And the rest are saints)!” The fusillade of rhetorical questions — presumed authentic since they have not been denied for over a year — has turned out to be prophetic. A situation report on the names reeled out by Mamata more than a year ago: • Kunal chor? The courts will decide. Since Mamata asked the question and gave a virtual clean chit to Ghosh, he has been arrested and incarcerated for several months. • Madan chor? Minister Madan Mitra is recovering after a stint in a hospital that curiously coincided with the CBI’s focus on his former aide. Another person said to be his aide has been summoned by the agency now. • Tumpai chor? Tumpai — Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose — has been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate. Being questioned does not mean someone is guilty. • Mukul chor? No agency has questioned Mukul Roy, the Trinamul all-India general secretary. But he still managed to trigger a Saradha controversy by distancing himself from the railway arrangement with the company when Mamata was the minister. • Aami chor? Ghosh has floated a golden proposal under which the chief minister can sit face to face with Sen and her party’s estranged MP, field the CBI’s questions and clear the air. She will also get an opportunity to clear the air on why she fell out with Ghosh after such a spirited defence in May, 2013 — one of the enduring mysteries in Bengal politics. Ghosh was suspended by Trinamul last September, soon after he demanded a CBI probe into the Saradha scandal. Last November, he was arrested by a special investigation team formed by the state government to probe the scam. BJP state president Rahul Sinha did not miss the opportunity to rub salt into the wound. “The chief minister is so aggressive and always ready to take challenges. What is the problem in accepting Ghosh’s challenge?” Sinha asked. The Congress’s Adhir Chowdhury and the CPM’s Mohammad Salim felt Ghosh’s demand was valid. “Ghosh was once the closest to Mamata Banerjee. He is a Rajya Sabha MP of Trinamul. He is a witness to many happenings…. There is an element of credibility,” said Chowdhury, the state Congress chief. But the decision rests on the CBI. “The Supreme Court wanted us to look at the larger conspiracy angle and the role of influential people…. That’s our guiding principle and we will do that irrespective of proposals on how to go about the investigation,” said an officer. ...AND A CHANCE TO PARTY AGAIN, FACE TO FACE
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140907/jsp/frontpage/story_18809717.jsp#.VAwcmWRdVB8 |
