The arrest and subsequent sacking of Partha Chatterjee — former minister in the Mamata Banerjee government — after his name surfaced in the SSC scam is too little and too late, BJP MP and former Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh told News18.com in an interview. Hitting out at the chief minister, Ghosh said the Opposition’s attempts at cobbling up a united front with Banerjee as their face had crumbled post the massive recovery of cash and gold from Chatterjee’s aides and she was no alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, let alone be a match.
Edited excerpts:
Mamata Banerjee has sacked Partha Chatterjee from the cabinet and party posts. What do you make of this?
Did it take Mamata Banerjee seven days to understand that the party does not tolerate acts of corruption and to remove Partha Chatterjee from TMC as well as ministerial posts? The figure (cash and jewellery recovered) has crossed Rs 200 crore.
Before this, she stood with many of those accused of corruption. Her MPs remained in prison but they were never thrown out of the party.
This time, she knew she would lose more. She has washed her hands off Chatterjee because her own party is witnessing a revolt, with the society and nation watching how corrupt her people are. “Shareer bachaane ke liye haath toh kaatna hi padega, toh kaat diya (To save the body, the infected hand needs to be severed). Despite all this, Mamata Banerjee did not sign on the removal of Chatterjee; it was the chief secretary who signed it. We know that party ke andar vidroh hua hai (There was protest within the party).
Two-three weeks ago, her district president was interrogated. He got himself admitted to SSKM. On interrogation, traces of Rs 150 crore were found. Banerjee’s close coterie of people is corrupt; for how long can she claim that she is not. Sonia Gandhi too used to say the same thing and you can see what is happening. This will reach the highest leader soon. If one needs to solve this, the topmost leader needs to be taken into account. Gadbad wahin se hai (the fault lies with the top).
TMC believes Mamata Banerjee is the alternative to PM Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This money recovery seems to have put her in a spot and chances of her being the face of a united opposition have diminished.
These people have looted money from the poor and formed the government. PM Modi said he will not let anyone take bribe. Can she compare herself with the PM at all, let alone be the alternative?
Abhishek Banerjee said he will meet applicant teachers who suffered because of the SSC scam. Do you think it is a damage-control exercise and will help?
How many people can he talk to? There are thousands. Those who had cleared the tests could not get jobs and those who paid for the jobs got it without sitting in tests. Mamata Banerjee is a chief minister who sits on dharna against CBI investigations. We were attacked [in Bengal]. She herself is Dacoit Rani.
Do you think ED will reach to the top this time?
The CBI would visit the state repeatedly to question TMC leaders but could do nothing. I think there was some sort of setting with some officials who were hand-in-glove with the government. Even courts were managed; judges recused themselves from hearing the case. There were no documents, no verdicts. Such is the fear in the state. The people of Bengal are praising the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the documents that have been recovered, if put before people, will reveal recoveries beyond Rs 200 crore. Many politicians will go to prison. Didi says ‘Aegiye Bangla’ (We are at the front). Now we know where Bengal stands first.
Can the BJP leverage this in the state and put pressure on the Mamata Banerjee government?
The matter is legal. Politics will go on. We took to the streets and I have cases against me in every court of Bengal. Lakhs of workers are impacted. Many workers are still outside Bengal and living in other states. I toured those states. ‘Log yahaan se mukti chaahte hain, uss raaste ka nirmaan kar raha hai ED (ED is laying the road for ‘Mukti’ from Mamata Raj).
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