SSC Scam: BJP, CPM pile heat on Mamata Banerjee : Samik Bhattacharya wants the entire cabinet should be suspended

Samik Bhattacharya wants the entire cabinet should be suspended

BJP supporters burn an effigy of Partha Chatterjee in Calcutta on Thursday: Gautam Bose

Arkamoy Datta Majumdar   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |    29.07.22  : On a day the state government and the Trinamul Congress removed Partha Chatterjee from all posts, Opposition parties in the state reiterated that corruption was deep within the ruling party and everyone, including chief minister Mamata Banerjee, must be held responsible.

“It was natural that Partha Chatterjee would be removed. But that doesn’t take away the onus from the entire cabinet, the entire party and Mamata herself,” said CPM state secretary Md. Salim.

BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya went a step further and said the entire cabinet should be suspended since all ministers were allegedly involved in corruption.

CPM’s central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said Chatterjee’s removal from the state cabinet and Trinamul posts was another instance that showed how Mamata used people around her as “pawns”.

“Whatever cash has been recovered is just the tip of the iceberg. They (Trinamul) have even looted money from several government schemes,” Chakraborty said.

His allegations were echoed by BJP’s Bhattacharya. “Mamata Banerjee is trying to fool the people of Bengal by removing Chatterjee. But he is just a small player in a big game of corruption. We will see to the end of this,” he said.

On Thursday, the BJP took out a rally from College Square to Esplanade in Calcutta, demanding justice for the arrest of “corrupt” Trinamul leaders and Mamata’s resignation. The rally was led by the party’s state president Sukanta Majumdar.

At the conclusion of the rally, Majumdar announced that the BJP would march to Nabanna — the state secretariat — in September. “Go back to your localities and spread the word from door to door. We will decide the date later but in September, we will march to Nabanna,” he said.

However, the CPM took a swipe at the BJP. Salim said the BJP, which is in power at the Centre, could have taken several steps to help SSC job aspirants.

“What has the education ministry done? Why did it not take any step to help these poor boys and girls?” Salim asked, adding that the legal battle against the SSC scam was also fought by CPM’s Rajya Sabha member Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.

“They (BJP) didn’t even help these kids legally.”

Salim added only after Chatterjee’s arrest, the BJP had jumped into the arena to reap political dividends.

The Congress said its state chief and MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury would lead a rally on Saturday from the party’s headquarters to Esplanade in Calcutta to protest against “rampant corruption in Bengal government”.