BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Kolkata: Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in the West Bengal assembly on Tuesday accused the ruling TMC of thriving on corruption, stating that the “cut money” trail in the multi-crore school jobs scam leads directly to its top leaders.
The BJP leader’s accusation came a day after TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the SSC scam. He was earlier apprehended by the CBI in 2023 in the same case. He had spent 13 months in jail before being released on bail in April.
Addressing a press conference, Adhikari brandished a photograph of Saha with senior TMC leaders, claiming it was clicked on August 12.
“This is not an old picture. Samajhdaro ke liye ishara kafi hai (A hint is enough for those who understand). It proves where the scam money went,” he said, adding that another accused, Sujay Krishna Bhadra alias ‘Kalighater Kaku’, had also admitted that funds were funneled upwards.
Adhikari alleged that Saha had prepared lists of job aspirants in collusion with other MLAs, extorted money by forcing unemployed youth to sell property, jewellery, or even livestock, and then shared the proceeds with the Trinamool’s top brass.
“Each collector kept Rs one or two lakh, and the rest was sent to Kalighat. This is not just about Jiban Krishna or Partha Chatterjee, the entire TMC is a party of thieves,” Adhikari charged.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the nephew of the CM, are residents of Kalighat area of Kolkata.
Taking a dig at the TMC’s recent organisational meeting, Adhikari claimed it was not about party strategy but about “settling accounts of corruption money..
He urged West Bengal’s 2.15 crore unemployed youth to “use the 2026 assembly elections as the weapon of change” and promised that a BJP government would confiscate ill-gotten assets, return them to the exchequer, and overhaul the recruitment process with annual SSC exams, decentralised hiring, OMR-based tests with carbon copies, and fair reservation policies.
Adding fuel to the controversy, Saha’s father Bishwanath Saha made a sensational claim, alleging that his son had amassed “huge illegal wealth” only after becoming an MLA.
The TMC, however, dismissed Adhikari’s charges as politically motivated.
“The BJP has mastered the art of fighting corruption by recruiting the corrupt,” party spokesperson Arup Chakraborty retorted.
“Sharing a photograph proves nothing. (Industrialists) Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya also have photos with top BJP leaders. Does that mean BJP leaders shared their loot?” he asked, adding that the saffron party should “look within” before making allegations.
The ED action comes at a time, with the Assembly polls less than a year-and-a-half away, and the BJP sharpening its attack on the ruling party by portraying corruption as the TMC’s “Achilles heel.”