TMC demands Congress minister's resignation in chit fund scam

NEW DELHI: Seeking to turn the tables on the Centre in the chit fund scam, Trinamool Congress today demanded the resignation of Union Minister A H Khan Chaudhary for his alleged links with the Sarada group and raised questions over Prime Minister's role in the issue for not taking any action.


Answering a query on the alleged role of his party MPs in the chit fund scam, Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien said the party was doing its own investigations into the case and "no one will be spared".

"There are three letters written by Minister of State for Health (who) wrote one letter in September 2011 slamming the Sarada group. Six months later, he wrote a letter to the Prime Minister praising the group and even asking him to keep this group out of the purview of the Reserve Bank.

"Two months later, he wrote another letter where not only he praised Sarada group but also slammed its competitors. The Minister of State for Health needs to resign but the bigger question is that the Prime Minister received three letters but no action was taken and he is answerable," he told reporters here.

O'Brien said his party was taking multiple actions to get to the bottom of the whole issue including the arrest of Sudipto Sen, ordering SIT and judicial probe, calling a special Assembly session and creation of a Rs 500 crore corpus for the victims of the alleged scam.

"Trinamool Congress has no connection whatsoever with the Sarada group. My two colleagues who are in question, they have made their statements. Quick action is being taken. Internally also we are taking action and nobody will be spared," he said.

The TMC leader said, "Chit funds are there from 70s, 80s and 90s and are a legacy of the Congress and CPM rule. So, now the skeletons are coming out of the cupboard. The situation is sad because so many people have lost their life savings. The TMC is acting and acting fast."