Centre did not take action because TMC was a former ally

KOLKATA: CPI(M) central committee member Mohammed Salim today alleged that the Centre did not take action against chitfunds in West Bengal earlier because the Trinamool Congress was a former ally, while reiterating the demand for a CBI probe.

"The UPA stayed silent on the matter. It didn't do anything for the last two years. The SEBI, RBI, SFIO were not allowed to act as the Trinamool Congress was supporting the UPA," Salim said.

He said that he could not understand why the Trinamool Congress was opposing a CBI investigation, when it had demanded probes by the central investigative agency whenever the party had faced a problem.

"Given the magnitude of the scam only an agency like the CBI can investigate such a scam. That is why we are demanding a CBI inquiry," he said.

Salim also criticised the police for not doing enough in investigating the Saradha scam saying that it was over a week since the arrest of group chairman Sudipta Sen.

Asked about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegation that several CPI(M) leaders were involved in the scam, Salim said, "It is nothing, but a ploy to divert the attention from the main issue."

Sudipta Sen, along with director Debjani Mukherjee and in-charge of the group's Jharkhand operations, Arvind Singh Chauhan, are currently in 14 days police custody for allegedly duping thousands of investors.