I'm a Victim of Conspiracy, Timing of My Sacking Bad, Could Hamper ED Probe: Partha Chatterjee

“I am a victim of conspiracy," said Partha Chatterjee on Friday, when asked if his sacking as a minister and from all posts of the party on Thursday was a result of a conspiracy, as he entered the ESI Hospital in Kolkata.

When asked further while coming out of the hospital whose conspiracy it was, he said, ?Take a look at the party?s decision.?

When asked if the party?s decision was correct, he said, ?The timing is bad. It may adversely affect the fairness of the investigation.?​

Chatterjee was holding the portfolios of commerce and enterprise, industry, information technology and electronics, as well as parliamentary affairs in Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal government. In the Trinamool Congress, he was the secretary general, a member of the disciplinary committee and several other committees, and state vice-president.

Chatterjee is accused of irregularities in the recruitment of teachers and staff through West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) in state-funded and aided schools. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 23.

His aide, Arpita Mukherjee, too, said she was a “victim of conspiracy", while she was entering the hospital and broke down.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday seized over Rs 28 crore in cash, gold ornaments, gold bars, property deeds and property-related documents during a raid at Mukherjee’s another residence in Kolkata suburb, Belgharia.

This comes days after the agency seized Rs 21 crore cash from one of the several residential premises of Mukherjee’s, which it said was suspected to be the proceeds of the SSC scam.

According to ED sources, the financial link between Chatterjee and Mukherjee has almost been established.

The TMC has clearly stated its stand with its leader Abhishek Banerjee saying on Thursday: “With circumstantial evidence, some things are coming up. We want to give the benefit of doubt to common people. Whoever, if involved, the party will take stand against them."

Chatterjee’s statements have not only given rise to another up conspiracy theory, but created a grey area too. Experts say the question after Chatterjee’s comment is whether it is a conspiracy within the party or outside, while Mukherjee’s claims lead to the question ? Is the conspiracy is against Chatterjee?

Meanwhile, the TMC, too, has hinted at a conspiracy by questioning the raid on Chatterjee on July 22, a day after the party held a successful Martyrs’ Day rally.

Tapas Roy, a TMC leader and MLA, said, “Chatterjee will only have to prove whether he is innocent or not. Everything will be proved in the court of law."

This clearly indicates the party in no way wants to take Chatterjee’s responsibility.

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