Saradha clouds Mitra protest

Calcutta, April 21: The controversy involving Saradha Group overshadowed the attack on Amit Mitra in Delhi at today’s Trinamul Youth Congress-sponsored rally in Calcutta.

Sources said the rally on Rani Rashmoni Avenue was originally called by Trinamul Youth wing chief Subhendu Adhikari to organise a planned agitation across the state in the aftermath of the SFI attack on Mitra on April 9.

Besides Adhikari, Trinamul secretary-general and industries minister Partha Chatterjee and all-India general secretary Mukul Roy spoke for hours on the troubles depositors of Saradha Group have been facing over the past few days.

The leaders blamed the erstwhile Left Front government for the rise of companies involved in illegally mobilising deposits.

Trinamul Rajya Sabha member Kunal Ghosh, who had worked as Saradha Group’s media CEO till early this month, was conspicuous by his absence from today’s rally despite being present in Calcutta.

“Our government is firm on booking those who have cheated people. But such companies thrived during the Left Front government and the Centre did nothing to curb their illegal activities,” Roy told the gathering of around 5,000.

Minister Chatterjee said that such companies had flourished because of the Centre’s decision to lower the interest rate in several small savings schemes in post offices.

“The state government has nothing much to do against such companies involved in illegally collecting funds from depositors,” he said.

However, several Trinamul MPs and MLAs suggested that the Mamata Banerjee government has been soft on such companies ever since it has assumed office almost two years ago on May 20,2011.

“Many of our high profile leaders have over or covert association with such companies and this is why they have not raised their voices against their illegal activities,” said a Trinamul MP on condition of anonymity.

State minister for consumer affairs Sadhan Pande today said he had sent three to four complaints to police through his departmental secretary for necessary action after he had got them some “cheated depositors”.

“T had written to the police before the Sarsha collapse took place to look into the complaints from some cheated depositors. But no action was taken,” he said, adding, “I hope things would change after the Sardha collapse surfaces now”.

Trinamul MP from Diamond Harbour Somen Mitra today iterated that he had justifiably blown the whistle on the mushrooming sham companies illegally mobilising funds during Trinamul rule and taken up the matter with the Prime Minister.

“The chief minister made it a point at a meeting that a party MP could not write concerning matter other than his or her constituency. But today I feel that I had acted correctly by raising my voice against such sham companies. Had the Centre and the state government heeded to my warning, today’s disaster could have been averted,” he added.

The Telegraph