Saradha chitfund scam: CPIM expels party leader for having links with tainted Saradha group

KOLKATA: The CPIM on Saturday expels its leader Ganesh De for having links with the tainted Saradha group. De was the personal assistant of former finance minister Asim Dasgupta. The Bidhannagar Police Commisionerate had interrogated De a couple of days back for his alleged involvement with Saradha group chief Sudipta Sen.

By expelling De, the CPIM has virtually mounted pressure on the chief minister Mamata Banerjee who is yet to initiate disciplinary measures against her MP Kunal Ghosh who was also interrogated by the same Commissionerate for his alleged involvement with Sen. Ghosh, a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP, was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Saradha group's media cell which used to run two daily newspapers "Bengal Post" and "Sakalbela" and a news channel apart from controlling some other newspapers run by the group.

Even though the CPIM has expelled De, Mamata Banerjee has not yet shown any signal to take action against Ghosh. On the contrary, she had given clear indication to her party leaders during a closed door meeting on Friday that she will stand beside her MPs and leaders whose names have surfaced for their alleged links with the Saradha group. The group chief Sudipta Sen had sent a letter to the CBI complaining against Ghosh and another Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP, Srinjoy Bose alleging that the duo had forced him to invest in the media.

The CPIM has inserted a notification in its party mouthpiece "Ganashakti" regarding expulsion of De.