Kolkata, Sep 4 (IANS) The Congress Thursday demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the Saradha scam, referring to allegations that the group was favoured in getting a contract from the IRCTC in 2010.
The BJP too joined the chorus with the party’s state unit chief Rahul Sinha asserting that all Trinamool Congress leaders, whose names have been drawn into the scam, should step down for the sake of investigation.
“I demand that the chief minister, who claims to be a symbol of honesty and integrity, should step down. If you are honest and person of integrity, then you will stay away from the chair until the CBI gives you a clean chit,” state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters here.
Chowdhury, the Baharampur MP, was referring to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’s deal with the Saradha Group for providing logistics support to the ‘Bharat Tirth’ project announced in the 2010-11 railway budget by Mamata Banerjee, who was then the railway minister.
In a bid to promote tourism, the scheme envisaged launching of 16 special ‘Bharat Tirth’ trains, connecting popular tourist sites and pilgrimage centres across the country.
Alleging that the Trinamool was top to bottom involved in the scam, Sinha said Trinamool leaders should follow BJP patriarch L. K. Advani, who had stepped down from all posts after he was accused in the Hawala case.
“All those whose names have cropped up in the scandal should step down for the sake of investigation. When L.K. Advani’s name came in the Hawala case, he immediately had resigned and came back only after being absolved by the Supreme Court,” said Sinha.
Referring to Trinamool leader and former railways minister Mukul Roy’s comment that he was not aware of the IRCTC deal as it did not happen during his tenure, Sinha said there was an air of mistrust among the Trinamool.
“We have heard how a big shot Trinamool leader clarifying that he was not the minister during the IRCTC deal. There is an air of mistrust in the Trinamool now and its leaders repeatedly coming out with new acts to save their own skin,” said Sinha.
Former Supreme Court judge Ashok Kumar Ganguly too Wednesday attacked Banerjee, ridiculing the Trinamool Congress’ claim that she was a “symbol of honesty”.
Earlier, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha ruled out any probe by the railways into the deal, saying the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was probing it.
However, the state’s ruling party has lashed out at the CBI accusing it of functioning as a “political organisation”.
Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee and several of party leaders have questioned the CBI’s role in probing the scam.