No "contradiction" between party & govt on Saradha chit fund scam: BJP

Rejecting any "contradiction" between the party and the government on the issue of Saradha chit fund scam, BJP today said the case is being investigated by three agencies and the government has not given clean chit in this regard.

This comes after the government today appeared to be speaking in different voices with MoS, Personnel Jitendra Singh telling Parliament that probe has so far not revealed that Saradha chit fund money was used to finance terror in Bangladesh, contradicting BJP chief Amit Shah's allegation of such a connection.

"There has been some media reports claiming that there are contradictions between the government and the party regarding the Saradha chit fund scam. Let me clarify. There are no such contradiction,"  BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh told reporters.

He said whatever BJP President Amit Shah had said in a rally in Kolkata on Sunday were based on reports that are in the public domain.

"It has been in the public domain for a very long time that Saradha chit fund scam money has funded terror activities in West Bengal and that is being investigated by CBI.

"This has been a matter of fact which has been in the public domain. Based on the public domain, the BJP National President Amit Shah also stated certain facts. Now MoS Jitendra Singh has also said that it is under CBI's investigation," Siddharth Singh said.

He said there are three investigative agencies involved-- Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI and the Burdwan blast case is also being investigated by NIA.

"Primarily, the investigation on money laundering issues are done by by SFIO and ED. There are other investigative agencies which look into it. As far as the question is concerned, it was raised with the DoPT Minister. So, there is no confusion and its answer was also given," Singh said.

Addressing a rally in Kolkata on Sunday, Shah had alleged that Saradha chit fund money was used in the October 2 Burdwan blast which is being probed for link with Jamaatul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terror outfit.
Shah while attacking the Trinamool Congress had said that Saradha chit fund money was used in the Burdwan blast. NIA is not being allowed to probe the blast properly. Hurdles are being created. It is being done in order to save TMC leaders who are involved in the blast, he had said.

"There is no clean chit given by government...There is no hurry. Let the investigation go on. The truth will be coming out," Siddharthnath Singh said.Singh said the media should not be in "haste" in giving a clean chit on the issue as the investigations are going on and one must understand its seriousness. He said that in West Bengal 17 lakh people and overall 25 lakh (including Assam and Odisha) people's money has been stolen while many people have committed suicide due to this. "It will be unfortunate if we hastily start giving clean chit in such a serious matter," he said. He said that as far as BJP was concerned, "whatever is there in media and public domain, it has raised certain questions through it and will continue to do so. The central government is conducting the investigations and it will continue to do so," he said.

Refuting charges of the Left parties that "it is a match- fixing between BJP and TMC, Singh said "BJP has entered into a match-fixing but not with any political party but the people and voters of West Bengal," he said.

Asked about the alleged red diary of Sahara shown by TMC MPs and mention of the BJP president's name in it, Singh termed the diary as "imaginary" and said TMC should talk on the basis of facts.

He said "Trinamool has been besieged in West Bengal, be it Saradha chit fund scam, many of their MPs are in jail, CBI probe is going on...in Burdwan, laboratories have been found in TMC people's house and many things are comng out..so it's besieged...That is why they are giving such absurd statements. These are all speculations," he said.