TMC crisis deepens: Dissidents seek probe into party funds, Aroop Biswas writes to bank to freeze Rs 675 crore account
Opposition MLAs, in their complaint to the Bidhannagar Police Station, sought an investigation into the money deposited in the bank account of the Trinamool Congress. The account has deposits of around ₹675 crore, sources said.
Also read: Aroop Biswas, TMC demands freezing of bank accounts, CPI(M) demands complete account freezing
Banerjee claimed that the source of funds should be investigated. “It cannot be determined whether the money in the account is from deducted money or extortion. Therefore, our MLAs approached the police,” he said. There are 64 opposition MLAs in the Opposition bloc led by Banerjee.
Following the party’s defeat on June 5, former CM Mamata Banerjee announced an organizational change by replacing Aroop Biswas with Subhasish Chakraborty as treasurer.
Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh questioned the dissidents’ move. “If MLAs detect any abnormality in the party’s funds, they should have informed the party high command. Is their priority to take legal action or put the party in trouble?” he said.
A senior Trinamool leader told ET that the MLA who wrote to the bank “may have acted in self-protection”. “If the letter had been sent after the organizational change, it would have no validity,” the leader said. Banerjee reiterated her demand for an investigation, claiming the funds “could have come from intercepted money or corruption and could have been used for charter flights.” “Our MLAs have lodged a written FIR seeking investigation,” he said.
Letter from Aroop Biswas
In his letter, Aroop Biswas said he had a “strong and bona fide concern” that, given the “existing dispute over the authority and control of the organisation”, signed checks currently in circulation or in the custody of persons “whose authority is in dispute” could be misused or encashed without proper authorization.
He warned that there was a “real and imminent risk” of unauthorized transactions being made through the account; This could expose both the organization and himself as treasurer to legal liability while the dispute remains unresolved.
Also read: Trinamool crisis deepens amid fund probe controversy, key resignations
Seeking “immediate and immediate action”, Biswas appealed to the private bank’s Central Plaza branch not to allow any transactions on the account until the dispute is resolved by the competent authority. He said the request was made solely to protect the party’s funds and to prevent unauthorized or questionable operation of the account.
LoP Recognition Becomes Difficult in HC
In a related development, an appeal was filed before a division bench of the Kolkata HC challenging the decision of a single judge upholding the Bengal Assembly Speaker’s decision recognizing Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of Opposition.
