JOIN USJust as the Trinamool Congress was getting past the spectre of Saradha scam, the Rose Valley scam seems to have revealed itself to haunt Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
On Tuesday, Mamata said that she has received a list from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) naming her party leaders who could be called next for questioning.
While the Opposition parties called it an effort by the Trinamool chief to strengthen her claim of political vendetta by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a source said that prominent leaders could be picked up for questioning and could even face arrest.
If the biggest name to surface from Saradha scam was state minister Madan Mitra, the Rose Valley scam could leave the Trinamool unraveled.
Sources said that with the CBI planning to put Tapas Pal and Sudip Bandopadhyay face-to-face for questioning, more names are expected to come out, given that Bandopadhyay is the biggest catch till date.
Another source said that the CBI plans to ask them whether they introduced Rose Valley chairman Gautam Kundu to other Trinamool MPs and MLAs, and if these leaders also received money or favours.
Idle for 18 months
Political insiders, however, question the timing of the arrests after no movement for almost 18 months.
“For so long, the probe had taken a back seat, but arrests were made the moment Mamata questioned Modi on demonetisation. Trinamool leaders might be guilty, but the sudden overtures are bound to raise suspicions,” an insider said.
According to documents accessed by DH, Kundu’s group had a finger in every pie – from personal finance to real estate to media and entertainment.
“In popular perception, Saradha is the bigger scam because of agitations by Opposition parties when in reality, Rose Valley affected more people,” said a source familiar with the investigation.
If in March 2016, the CBI estimated Rose Valley scam to be around Rs 17,000 crore, the Enforcement Directorate confirmed that it was around six times bigger than the Saradha scam, estimated to be around Rs 3,000 crore.