Kolkata:
West Bengal Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday that Partha Chatterjee and his close associate should be punished “severely” in response to their extended judicial detention.
In a covert attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mr Adhikari told ANI that Partha Chatterjee had taken bribes of Rs 800-1000 crore under the influence of Ms Banerjee.
“These people must be severely punished. A special trial must be carried out… under the influence of Mamata Banerjee, Partha Chatterjee took bribes of Rs 800-1000 Cr and destroyed the dreams of unemployed youth,” he said.
“It is shameful that the poor have no place to live and that politicians buy apartments to hide their illegal funds. The corrupt individuals must be punished according to the law,” he added.
In response to Ms Banerjee calling him “Gaddar”, Mr Adhikari stated that everyone knows who “Gaddar” is or not. She should introspect herself first.
“The Nandigram election result speaks for itself, people know who Gaddar is and who is not. People have replied to this, so I won’t say much more,” he added.
A special court in Kolkata on Wednesday extended judicial custody of former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his close associate, Arpita Mukherjee, until September 14 in relation to the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam case.
A Money Laundering Prevention Court (PMLA) in Kolkata had previously extended judicial custody of the amounts owed until August 31.
Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were arrested last month by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the recruitment scam.
The ED had raided several properties allegedly linked to Arpita Mukherjee in the scam.
The investigative agency has recovered cash worth around Rs 50 crore, foreign currency, jewelry and golden biscuits in connection with its raids on the scam.
Ms Chatterjee was Minister of Education from 2014 to 2021 in the government of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.
After Ms. Chatterjee’s arrest, he was released as minister and suspended from the Trinamool Congress.
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