Trinamool to file defamation suit against Amit Shah

Move comes after Centre denies Saradha money went to terrorists

The Trinamool Congress is all set to file a defamation suit against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  president Amit Shah for making “derogatory” comments against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the party.

During a rally in Kolkata last week, Shah had alleged that money from Saradha scam, which went to Trinamool ministers and leaders, made its way to fund terrorist activities of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JuMB).

Shah’s claim, however, was dismissed by Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in charge of the Prime Minister’s Office, on Wednesday. He said in a written reply to Parliament that the investigating agencies have found no connection between the money trail of the multi-crore Saradha scam and the terror network that was unraveled following a blast at West Bengal’s Burdwan on October 2.

While some BJP and Janata Dal (United) MPs had posed the question, asking the government for details of the so-called link, Singh said in the Rajya Sabha, “So far investigation into the Saradha chit fund scam hasn’t shown its money being routed to Bangladesh to fund terror activities.”

Shah had said in his Kolkata rally on November 30 that “the probe into the Burdwan blast and Saradha scam are going to cross paths. There are reports that money from Saradha scam was used in Burdwan blasts.”

With Singh officially refuting any links, the Trinamool has decided to go ahead and file a defamation case against Shah.

Senior Trinamool leader and state minister Subrata Mukherjee told reporters that the Trinamool would file the law suit once it received a copy of Singh’s written reply in hand.

“Shah says a lot of things and most of it is bogus. We’ve taken serious note of his derogatory comment. We will go to court,” he said. BJP state president Rahul Sinha refused any comment on the matter.

Soon after Singh’s reply, Trinamool MPs hit out at Shah, stating that he had lied about the Saradha scam money being used to fund JuMB’s terror network in Bengal. The party has decided to go on an overdrive and launch protest marches across the state.

The Trinamool will take out a rally on December 6 to mark it as communal harmony day on the 22nd anniversary of Babri demolition, a scathing attack against Shah is likely to form much of Banerjee’s speech.