It could have used this opportunity to bolster its allegation of the BJP using central agencies for political vendetta, but the alleged seizure of Rs 20 crore in cash from the premises of a close aide of West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee has pushed the Trinamool Congress on the back foot.
Chatterjee, the state industries and commerce minister, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday morning after being questioned for more than 24 hours in connection with the alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state.
The cash was reportedly recovered in searches conducted at the residential premises of Chatterjee’s aide Arpita Mukherjee, who has also been detained for questioning. In a statement, the ED has said that the cash is “suspected to be proceeds of crime of the said School Service Commission scam”.
The scam — pertaining to the recruitment of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ staff, assistant teachers of classes 11 & 12, and primary teachers — allegedly took place when Chatterjee held the education portfolio.
Apart from Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee, raids were also conducted at the premises of PK Bandopadhyay, OSD to Partha Chatterjee when he was the state education minister; Sukanta Acharjee, Chatterjee’s then personal secretary; Chandan Mondal alias Ranjan, a tout who allegedly used to take money on the promise of giving school teaching jobs; and Kalyanmay Bhattacharya, son-in-law of Partha Chatterjee, among others.
The TMC has sought to distance itself from Chatterjee’s arrest and the minister told reporters on Saturday that he hasn’t been able to contact his “leader”, but the development does put the party in an embarrassing position just when it is intensifying its efforts to stand out in the Opposition.
The party managed to hold off the BJP last year to make a stunning return to power and since then Mamata Banerjee has turned her sights on expanding the party’s footprint beyond Bengal. The party held a mega Martyrs’ Day rally on June 21 this year after two years of virtual celebrations.
In a bold move, Banerjee declared that her party would abstain from voting in the upcoming vice-presidential elections. The TMC was never expected to vote for the NDA’s candidate, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar who had not had cordial relations with Banerjee’s government. But the TMC supremo chose not to toe the Opposition line either, and will sit out the vice-presidential elections. The strategy has been criticised by Opposition nominee Margaret Alva, but as the non-BJP bloc looks for a leader to unite under in 2024, Mamata Banerjee is taking no chances.
Partha Chatterjee is not only a state minister, but is also the TMC’s general secretary general and is, in fact, believed to be the third most important leader after Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew. He is also a member of the disciplinary committee. Sources told News18 that he may be removed as minister and from the party post to insulate TMC from political and perception damage.
A Trinamool Congress MLA since 2001, Chatterjee has been Mamata Banerjee’s close aide since their days of student politics. He became a minister in Banerjee’s first cabinet in 2011 and held the education portfolio from 2016 to 2021, the time window of the alleged scam.
The BJP has come out all guns blazing at Banerjee’s TMC following Chatterjee’s arrest.
“Partha Chatterjee is a fish of deep waters in the lake of corruption of TMC… The youth studied day and night and dreamt of becoming a teacher but they were deprived of that job due to corruption…” BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said in multiple tweets.
1.1 Truth will prevail.
The youth studied day and night and dreamt of becoming a teacher but they were deprived of that job due to corruption, got partial justice today. Partha Chatterjee has been arrested. pic.twitter.com/919gpFadzt
— Dilip Ghosh (@DilipGhoshBJP) July 23, 2022
Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee from Nandigram, said “tears of a generation won’t go in vain.”
I would like to express my gratitude to the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court for considering the plea of eligible meritorious candidates who were denied appointment as Teachers by SSC.
The legal action that followed has started to yield results. Tears of a generation won’t go in vain.— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) July 23, 2022
The BJP has also released a video of Mamata Banerjee purportedly seen talking to Arpita Chatterjee at the Pujo program of Naktal Udayayan Shangho. Can the TMC weather this political storm?
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