Ritabrata Banerjee faction to move Supreme Court over TMC funds
“We will file a Special Leave Petition (SLP). We have consulted lawyers and are moving the Supreme Court. When the case was initially filed in the Calcutta High Court, the ED was not involved. But now that we have filed an SLP petition in the Supreme Court, the ED will be a party to the proceedings,” Banerjee told reporters.
Alleging financial irregularities with party funds, Ritabrata Banerjee alleged that a company purchased assets using party funds and the party later paid rent to the same company.
He further added, “Congratulations to this ‘new Natwarlal’.” he said. He sold the original Natwarlal Taj Mahal; “Here, a company purchased assets using the party’s funds by paying Rs 160 million from the party’s coffers, and then the party paid rent to the same company.”
“This is clearly a case of money laundering,” he added.
Mamata Banerjee-led TMC condemned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) decision to freeze Rs 440.42 crore held in the party’s three bank accounts, saying the move was politically motivated and accused the BJP of “misusing investigative institutions” to weaken the opposition.
Meanwhile, reacting to former TMC Rajya Sabha MPs Sushmita Dev, Prakash Chik Baraik and Sukhendu Sekhar Roy joining the BJP, Banerjee said political differences will not affect her personal ties with them. “They make a personal decision, I have no say in it, but personal relationships continue, they have absolutely every right in a democracy,” he said.
Weeks after resigning from the Rajya Sabha, former TMC MPs Sushmita Dev, Prakash Chik Baraik and Sukhendu Sekhar Roy joined the BJP in the presence of West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya at the party office in Salt Lake.
