Mamata brothers bought Rs 20-crore property after she became CM: CPM

Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay, IE | Kolkata | April 30, 2014: The CPM Tuesday launched a blistering attack on ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal accusing the party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s brothers and sisters-in law of buying property worth Rs 20 crore near her residence in Kolkata in last two years.

Even as senior CPM leader Gautam Deb questioned the funds with which Mamata’s relatives brought the property in and around 30B, Harish Chatterjee Street at Kalighat, in central Kolkata, the TMC reacted sharply saying the former minister has stooped to making personal remarks and instead accused him of having being friends with Saradha scam mastermind Sudipta Sen.

Releasing documents in support of his claim at a press conference at CPM state headquarters at Alimuddin Street, Deb said two of Mamata’s brothers and their wives bought the property after she came to power in May 2011.

“I have got photo-copies of the land deeds, and I am ready to face any investigation. The chief minister’s family, by using her position, has bought the properties. I do not believe that the CM did not know anything. In fact, 70 per cent of Kalighat is now owned by the Banerjee family,” Dev later said while talking to The Indian Express.

He questioned the source of the money and said this could be “only the tip of the iceberg.” Contacted, Ajit Banerjee, eldest brother of the Chief Minister, whom Deb mentioned in his allegation, said there was no harm in purchasing properties. “What’s wrong if I buy properties. Is it because I am the brother of the chief minister? All you need to check is whether the purchase is legal or illegal,” Ajit, who owns a hotel in Puri and also has business of building materials, told The Indian Express.

Ajit, incidentally, has also been given a top position in the State Sports Council. As per Ajit, Mamata has six brothers, including him, and all of them deal in building materials. They all live in the same area in and around Harish Chatterjee Street of Kalighat. Responding to the charges, state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said under the Indian constitution, everybody has the right to acquire property. “The allegations are totally false and they should be ashamed of bringing the names of women in CM’s family in public domain,” Hakim said.

Late in the night, a team of officials from Bidhan Nagar police thrice went to Deb’s residence. However, not finding him there, they told the family members to inform Deb to report to the Bidhan Nagar police station on Wednesday noon. Contacted, Deb said, he was taking legal advice.