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In what could be an embarrassment for BJP President Amit Shah, who publicly alleged that the Saradha chit fund scam funds were linked to the recent Burdwan blasts in West Bengal, the Government on Wednesday said its probe had so far not found any such link with terrorist activities.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Personnel, Jitendra Singh, said, “The investigation has so far not revealed any such transaction where money was routed to Bangladesh to fund terrorist activities.”
Singh was asked whether the Government has sought details of the probe into the Saradha chit fund scam after reports indicated that a part of the money was routed to Bangladesh to fund terror activities. Singh replied that Government has not sought details of the probe.
To another question on whether the Saradha chief admitted to paying large sums to several people to influence the case in his favour, Singh said, “The matter is under investigation.”
Singh’s reply is sure to provide more fodder to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has stepped up its protest against the Government in both Houses of Parliament on a range of issues following the BJP’s frontal attack on it on the Saradha scam. The BJP, which increased its vote share in West Bengal in the recent Lok Sabha polls, is eyeing a bigger pie in the Assembly polls in 2016.
In a rally in Kolkata last Sunday, Shah had alleged that Saradha money was used in the October 2 Burdwan blast being probed for links with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, a terror outfit. “Saradha chit fund money was used in the Burdwan blast. The NIA (National Investigation Agency) is not being allowed to probe the blast properly,” he had said, alleging that hurdles were being created to save some TMC leaders. Incidentally, some key TMC leaders and MPs are behind bars or are being interrogated in the multi-crore scam.
Last week, during a debate on black money in the Lok Sabha, BJP leader Anurag Thakur, too, said "TMC people come with black umbrellas here and fill their own pockets with black money. Not just that, they finance terrorists also with that money", he said.
Meanwhile, TMC demanded an apology from Shah. "Amit Shah Should apologise for making wild allegations" party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay told
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