The Saradha chit fund scam may become a major embarrassment for the ruling Trinamool Congress as well as a host of politicians and their relatives.

Before he went absconding on April 10, Sudipta Sen, CMD of Saradha Group, had filed an 18-page complaint to the Kolkata-office of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). (A copy of the letter is with Business Line .)

Sen accused at least two Rajya Sabha MPs of Trinamool (from West Bengal) for receiving crores of rupees to buy him protection from both the Central and State governments.

Giving details of the transactions (partly made by “cheque or RTGS”), Sen accused the Trinamool MPs of forcing him to enter into costly acquisition of a TV channel, spending crores on branding and even forcing him to sell the TV channel and an Urdu newspaper at throwaway prices.

“The aforesaid channel and newspaper may (have been) sold at a good price and the realisation there from may be (used) for the purpose of making payment to the creditors of West Bengal,” he said in the letter.

Apart from the Trinamool MPs, Sen has also given details of payments to a host of top political functionaries, businessmen and journalists.

Factional Feud

As a direct fallout of the disclosure, a section of senior Trinamool leaders is now demanding the resignation of the tainted MPs from Parliament.

At a recent party meeting, a prominent MP from south Bengal and a former minister in the Union Government called for the resignation of both the accused Rajya Sabha MPs.

>abhishek.l@thehindu.co.in

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