Mamata govt tries to distance itself
The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal which is facing heat of angry investors and collection agents of the Saradha Group because of its proximity to the chit fund company, on Saturday tried to distance itself from it.
Adopting offence-is-the-best-defence strategy, state transport minister Madan Mitra said, “Did the government ask the people on behalf of the Saradha Group to invest money in this company?”
All-India Trinamul Congress general secretary and minister of Parliament Mukul Roy pointed out that the chit fund company was given licence to operate its business by the previous Left Front government way back in 2008 and not the Trinamul Congress government.
Asked to explain how party MP Kunal Ghosh was the media group CEO of the company, he shot back saying, “He was an employee of the company not its owner.”
When it was pointed out that even transport minister Madan Mitra was the president of the Saradha Employees’ Progressive Union, Mr Roy said there was no harm in it.
He denied that actor and party member of Parliament (MP) Shatabdi Roy was the brand ambassador of the company. “I know who is the brand ambassador but Shatabdi is not,” he said emphatically.
Mr Mitra and Mr Roy’s efforts to disown any link with the dubious chit fund company notwithstanding, the investors and the agents insisted that the ruling party and its leaders were closely linked with the Saradha Group.
“The chief minister flagged off ambulances and trauma care motorcycles to provide healthcare service to the poor in the Jangalmahal in 2011. These were sponsored by our company. Didi herself inaugurated our company’s Bengali daily Kalam at Town Hall in presence of many heavyweight ministers. It was no secret that our company enjoyed complete patronage of the government. How can Mukulda say the government or Trinamul Congress had no links with Saradha?” asked an agent from Howrah.
A day after laying a siege of the chief minister’s house, the desperate collection agents on Saturday staged an agitation outside the party head office Trinamul Bhavan.
On Friday, they were given assurance that Mr Roy will listen to their grievance at the party office.
However, Mr Roy did not get the time to meet them. Instead one Biplab Kundu tried to pacify the agitated agents by promising to float an association to fight for their cause.
The agents, most of whom did not know Mr Kundu, suspected that he was working at the behest of the ruling party to sabotage their agitation.
Post new comment