Kolkata: Breaking her silence, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee distanced herself and Trinamool Congress on industry minister Partha Chatterjee’s arrest a couple of days ago. “I don’t support corruption or any wrongdoing,” she said during the Bango Bhibhushan and Banga Bhushan award ceremony at the Nazrul Mancha on Monday.
“If anyone is found guilty, he or she may be sentenced to life, but I condemn any malicious campaign against me. The truth must come out, but within a time-frame,” said Mamata Banerjee.
However, Mamata Banerjee also warned the BJP and said, “BJP is wrong if it thinks it can break my party using central agencies.”
It may be recalled that Enforcement Directorate (ED) Partha Chatterjee on Saturday on charges of money-laundering linked to School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam. The central agency accused him of allegedly making illegal appointments of schoolteachers and staff in government-run schools during his tenure as education minister.
On Saturday, around ₹ 20 crore in cash was found from the house of Arpita Mukherjee, a close associate of Partha Chatterjee.
It is learnt that Chatterjee made multiple phone calls to the Chief Minister following his arrest but couldn’t reach the CM, revealed ED’s “Arrest Memo”. He had chosen Mamata Banerjee for his call to a “relative/friend whom the person taken in custody intends to inform”.
