Trinamool Congress was benefited by Ponzi scheme operator Saradha Group’s media ventures, arrested party MP, Kunal Ghosh has claimed.
In a pre-recorded video footage, aired by a private Bengali news channel (24-Ghanta) late on Tuesday evening, Ghosh alleged that Saradha’s media ventures was created (in 2010) to garner support in favour of Trinamool in West Bengal and other states.
The stated aim was to project the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the future Prime Ministerial candidate. According to Ghosh, who was the CEO of Saradha’s media business, the Group Chairman Sudipta Sen personally explained the strategy to the West Bengal Chief Minister.
“All media houses owned by the Saradha Group were used exclusively as a TMC mouthpiece. The party took all possible benefits and was well aware of it,” Ghosh claimed in the TV footage. The news channel claimed that the footage was recorded by Ghosh before his arrest.
In the video, Ghosh named nearly a dozen people including Mamata Banerjee, four other party MPs (Srinjoy Bose, father-son duo of Sisir and Suvendu Adhikari and KD Singh), TMC general secretary Mukul Roy, West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra, and other several top functionaries of Trinamool.
Efforts to contact Mukul Roy for the party’s version remained unsuccessful. However, Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the allegations were “false and fabricated”. Adhikari would take legal action against Ghosh.
Saradha entered the media business in early 2010, within a year since Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress won majority of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2009 General Election.
The media empire included a number of vernacular and English dailies and many TV channels, spread across West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Delhi and others.
Majority of the media houses were closed beginning March-April this year, after the Ponzi bubble burst wiping out savings of lakhs of investors in West Bengal and the adjoining Eastern and North Eastern states. Some TV channels are running on alternative financial arrangements.
Background
Before the scam came into light, Sudipta Sen made a detailed disclosure to the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) accusing Ghosh and another Trinamool MP of foul play.
While West Bengal government decided against a CBI enquiry, Ghosh continued holding his position in the party till September 20 this year when he hinted wider involvement of Trinamool in the scam. The party, he reportedly felt, was trying to make Ghosh a sacrificial lamb, so as to protect its public image.
Soon after the outburst, Ghosh was suspended from Trinamool. Also he was summoned by West Bengal police for interrogation. Finally after nearly 10 rounds of interrogation, Ghosh was arrested on November 23. He is now in police custody.
Meanwhile, Sudipta Sen, who is behind the bars since April end, denied wider involvement of Trinamool Congress or Mamata Banerjee in the scam.
According to Justice Shyamal Sen commission, set up by the state, the scam is estimated at approximately Rs 2,060 crore. Police is yet to recover the funds.
Spilling the beans
On Tuesday’s TV broadcast, Ghosh accused the Banerjee-led State government of inaction against Saradha Group, despite being alerted by the Centre.
“If the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had alerted the State Government, why did it keep Saradha employees in the dark about the Group? Why did they not alert us employees? Can the State Government now escape moral responsibility for this fiasco,” Ghosh questioned.
Claiming innocence, Ghosh said that he was a mere employ of the Group and has “discharged nothing more than his editorial responsibilities”.
“I was never involved in any dealings nor do cheques bear my signature. I have no idea as to where the funds (collected by money collection schemes), if any, are parked. Today I am being made a scapegoat and circumstances are being created in such a manner to show that I am the person responsible for the scam. It is not the right version of events,” he said.
Ghosh pointed out that Mukul Roy (TMC General Secretary) had met Sudipta Sen in the first week of April — days before the Group went bust. The meeting was organised to arrange finances for Saradha.
“Roy and Majumdar (retired IPS officer Rajat Majumdar) were in close association with Sen and they can help investigators in the Saradha Scam,” Ghosh said.
Similarly, State Transport Minister Madan Mitra is being referred to as Sen's “friend, philosopher and guide”. Responding to queries from the TV channel, Mitra denied the allegation.
Ghosh repeatedly claimed it was not his intention to malign, defame or level accusations. But, he wanted to name persons “who can aid” investigators about the Saradha Group and where its funds were parked.