The Saradha-episode finally seems to be taking a toll on the Trinamool Congress as member of Parliament (MP) Kunal Ghosh publicly hit out at the leadership for making him a “scapegoat”, prompting the party to issue a show-cause notice to him and two other MPs for their “anti-party activities”.
Much like what suspended Gujarat IPS officer D G Vanzara did to chief minister Narendra Modi through his letter, Ghosh hit out at the party leadership at a public function on Friday evening for being abandoned, and demanded a Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) probe into the matter, something which has been consistently opposed by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
“Let the case be handed over to the CBI and the truth come out. Only I have been subjected to police interrogation. If you hear one day that I am killed in an accident, you should conclude it has been done to eliminate me. Those who are trying to put the case under wraps, I would expose them and won’t let them succeed,” journalist-turned politician Ghosh said.
Incidentally, Ghosh, who was the chief executive of the media wing of Sudipto Sen-led Saradha Group that went bust, was publicly blamed by his party chief for not informing her about non-payment of salaries to the employees of the channels.
“She (Mamata Banerjee) won, but not on her own. She shouldn’t forget the cooperation of others (in the fight),” he added. The matter was raked up at a time, when the government is planning to start paying compensation to the affected investors from October. According to the Shyamal Kumar Sen commission, which is probing the matter, about 800 of over 17 million applicants would get compensation in the first phase. However, to make it worse for the ruling party, Satabdi Roy and Tapas Pal — two Tollywood faces who won TMC ticket in the last Lok Sabha election, shared the stage with Ghosh and echoed the rebellious tone against the party leadership.
“What a party it was when I joined it and what it has become now? I have to write my name on a visitor’s slip just to get into Writers’ Building,” Pal said. Roy, on the other hand, went ahead to praise suspended TMC member of legislative assembly Shikha Mitra- a known Banerjee-baiter in the party. “ Only Shikha Mitra has the guts to tell the truth (about the party),” she said. TMC slapped a show-cause notice on all the three MPs. “Kunal Ghosh, Satabdi Roy and Tapas Pal will be sent show-cause (notices) soon for their anti-party activity.
No one will be spared. Further actions will be taken following their responses,” TMC general secretary Mukul Roy said.
Party-insiders say the rebel MPs had tried to raise their voices over Saradha and other issues within the party forum several times, but Banerjee declined to discuss that.
“It was well-planned on their part. Also, some are afraid of not getting tickets in the next Lok Sabha election. It was only out of frustration,” said a senior TMC leader.
