KOLKATA : After Trinamool Congress General Secretary Mukul Roky gets the CBI summons, the name of another heavyweight leader of the party-West Bengal Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim-has cropped up in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam.
The ruling Trinamool has already been in a spot with Transport Minister Madan Mitra and the party’s Rajya Sabha members Kunal Ghosh and Srijoy Bose being behind the bars. The name of Mr.Hakim has been dragged into the controversy by former Trinamool Congress leader Asif Khan, a former aid of Mr.Mukul Roy, now in jail as an undertrial. It was Mr.Khan, who had earlier made almost prophetic statements in public naming Mr. Mitra and Mr.Roy. This was followed by the CBI call and arrest of of the former.
Mr.Roy, who also received summons very recently,is yet to be questioned.
Mr.Khan, who quit the party after his arrest in connection with the Saradha scam, even took the name of Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee creating a flutter in political circles.
‘Now is the turn for Firhad Hakim to be called by CBI. He too is very much involved with the Saradha affairs,’ he told reporters yesterday.
The Minister, however, laughed at his comment, saying ‘It is unfortunate for the country that CBI is acting at the behest of Asif Khan,’ he said.
CBI sources, however, said the agency was thinking about calling Mr.Hakim to ascertain his role in the scam,particularly on the basis of the allegation that he had taken a lead role in reviving the Saradha group publications after the chit fund company was closed down in April, 2013. ‘We are corroborating the statements made by Khan,’ CBI sources said. Suspended Trinamool MP Kunal Ghosh had also named Mr.Mukul Roy and Mr.Madan Mitra while Mr.Khan many more Trinamool leaders, including the top brass, were associated with the Saradha scam and it was to save themselves that the party bigwigs threw in the names of smaller fishes.
(AGENCIES)
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