Bengal has become hub of corruption, while Mamata remains mute spectator, says Union Minister Anurag Thakur
Jul 23, 2022
New Delhi [India], July 23 : Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday said that West Bengal has become a hub of corruption, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a mute spectator to the situation.
Thakur's statement came after the arrest of West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee by the Enforcement Directorate earlier Saturday.
On being asked about the ED seizing Rs 21 crore from the flat of actress Arpita Mukherjee, who is a close aide of Partha Mukherjee in Bengal's SSC scam, Thakur said, "under Mamata Banerjee's rule, whether it is a cheat fund scam or a coal scam or cut money, and now the way teachers have been scammed, if Rs 21 crore is found at a colleague's house, then imagine how big a scam will be."
"Mamata Banerjee is breaking the record of corruption. Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal are in competition as to who does more corruption," he stated.
Taking a jibe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said, "Kejriwal used to talk about ending corruption, today, they are so immersed in corruption that they are unable to answer, sometimes Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, sometimes Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and sometimes some other minister, one after the other, their leaders are being found immersed in corruption.
"Instead of taking his resignation, Kejriwal comes to Delhi to defend himself, he is afraid to resign because he himself is a participant in him, he should answer all of them but could not do so," he added.
Enforcement Directorate arrested Chatterjee following the raids by the central probe agency which seized Rs 20 crore in cash from the premises of his close associate Arpita Mukherjee, in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state.
Notably, the arrests were made at Chatterjee's residence in Kolkata. The ED team was at the spot since Friday.
Earlier on Friday, ED officials raided the residences of Bengal ministers Partha Chatterjee and Paresh Adhikari and several others and recovered huge cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee.
The said amount is suspected to be proceeds of crime of said SSC scam. The search team is taking the assistance of bank officials for the counting of cash through cash counting machines.
More than 20 mobile phones have also been recovered from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which are being ascertained, said the probe agency.
Besides cash, a number of other incriminating documents, records, details of dubious companies, electronic devices, foreign currency and gold has also been recovered from the various premises of the persons linked to the scam.
