Left legislators in Bengal to urge CBI, ED to speed up investigations into chit fund scams

KOLKATA: A team of Left legislators of Bengal under the leadership of CPI(M) MLA Sujan Chakraborty, will submit memoranda to the CBI and ED ( Enforcement Directorate) officials on March 9, CPI(M) sources said here on Wednesday.

It is learnt that the Left MLAs would urge the two central agencies to speed up their investigations into several chit fund scams and take measures to return money to lakhs of those poor people who had lost their hard-earned income by investing those with several chit funds like Saradha and Rose Valley.

Interestingly, a BJP delegation on March 1 had met senior CBI officials in Kolkata and made similar demands. BJP leaders comprising state party chief Dilip Ghosh, former state president Rahul Sinha had met CBI joint director A.K.Singh and urged him to speed up their probe into chit fund scams. The BJP leaders had also informed CBI chief that three senior Bengal police officials had destroyed some important documents related to Saradha chit fund scam.

Eight days after BJP delegation met the CBI officials, CPIM and Left Front legislators would meet the central probe agency chief on Thursday to make similar demands as that of BJP. Apart from meeting the CBI boss, Left MLAs would also meet senior ED officials on Thursday. Like the CBI, the ED is also probing a number of chit fund scams.

"Two Trinamoool Congress MPs including the party leader in the Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandyopadhyay are currently in CBI custody for their alleged involvement in the Rose Valley chit fund scam. "There are many Trinamool Congress MPs, ministers and leaders against whom the CBI is holding investigations. We want the probe agency to arrest such Trinamool Congress leaders as they played crucial role in helping many chit fund companies to increase their business by duping the poor people," said a senior CPIM leader.

There is a strong speculation in political circles here that CBI probe into chit fund scams would be intensified after March 11 when results of UP Assembly polls would come out. There is also apprehension among political leaders belonging to both the ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition camps that the probe agency might summon Trinamool leaders in case BJP fares well in UP elections and manages to form government there.