On 6th November, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vehemently defended her party against the accusations of being a corrupt political party. Notably, opposition parties, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have labelled the TMC a party of “thieves” following several scams that surfaced in recent times.
Mamata Banerjee emphasised her personal integrity, claiming that she has never accepted illicit funds while being in power. She also pointed fingers at the previous Left Front government in the state as “the most corrupt” and highlighted the steps taken by her government after coming to power in 2011. The West Bengal CM specifically pointed out that since TMC came to power in 2011, they have removed over one crore fake ration cards and “rooted out corruption” in the state.
Banerjee also claimed to have continued support to those who had surrendered land for the Tata Nano project in Singur, asserting her party has “pro-people” policies. Furthermore, she also accused the Central Government of withholding MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojna and Gramin Sadak Yojna funds for the state.
Notably, her remarks came following the arrest of TMC ministry Jyoti Priya Mallick in connection to the alleged irregularities in the public distribution system. Apart from Mallick, there have been several instances in recent times that highlighted rampant corruption in TMC.
Cash For Query
One of the most recent and most talked about controversies involving TMC that have come to light is the “Cash For Query” scandal involving Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra.
On 14th October, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote to the ethics committee seeking an inquiry against TMC MP Moitra in the ‘cash for query’ matter. His complaint was based on the letter written by Supreme Court lawyer Anant Dehadrai, who alleged that most of the questions tabled by Moitra in Lok Sabha, directly or indirectly, benefited businessman Darshan Hiranandani and were against businessman Gautam Adani.
Moitra filed a case against Dubey and Dehadrai but never denied accepting gifts. Interestingly, she has also been accused of sharing her Lok Sabha credentials with Hiranandani so he can post questions independently. Hiranandani has reportedly turned approver in the case and submitted an affidavit suggesting the allegations against Moitra are true. Dehadrai and Dubey were called to submit evidence of Moitra’s alleged wrongdoings in front of the ethics committee on 26th October.
Dehadrai has alleged Moitra “kidnapped” his pet dog Henry to “blackmail” him. He also submitted a letter fearing his safety to the Commission of Police in Delhi. Moitra reportedly appeared before the ethics committee but left the hearing in the middle, claiming the committee members asked her personal questions.
Public Distribution System Scam
On 26th October, ED raided the residence of West Bengal Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in Kolkata in connection to a corruption case related to ration distribution. Mallick is a senior TMC leader serving as the forest minister. Previously, he held the food minister portfolio. In response to the raid, Banerjee strongly criticised the central agency and accused the BJP-led government at the centre of using such actions as part of a “broader strategy” ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Interestingly, Mallick’s daughter Priyadarshini reportedly deposited Rs 3.37 crores in her bank account after the 2016 demonetisation. Being a school teacher, she draws an annual salary of 2.48 lakhs. During ED’s interrogation, she claimed to have earned the money as tuition fees. Furthermore, ED found a deposit of Rs 4.3 crores in the IDBI bank account of Mallick’s wife, Mandipa. ED arrested Mallick over an accusation of laundering Rs 95 crores using shell companies.
Bengal Teacher SSC recruitment scam
The West Bengal Teacher’s recruitment scam, more commonly referred to as the SSC scam, looks into the recruitment process conducted through the State Level Selection Test (SLT) conducted by SSC from 2014 to 2016.
The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) announced in 2014 that teachers would be hired at state-run schools in West Bengal through the State Level Selection Test (SLST), which is when the alleged scam first surfaced. In 2016, the hiring process got underway. At that time, Partha Chatterjee was the Minister-in-Charge of the West Bengal Department of Higher Education and School Education. Nevertheless, a number of complaints were submitted to the Calcutta High Court, citing irregularities in the hiring procedure.
The petitioners alleged that many examinees who got fewer marks ranked higher on the merit list. Several claims also surfaced regarding the receipt of appointment letters by some applicants who weren’t even on the merit list.
Cattle Smuggling Scam
In August 2022, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a prominent TMC leader, Anubrata Mondal, concerning the cattle smuggling scam. He was arrested from his residence in Bolpur, West Bengal. Notably, he had evaded ten summons of CBI before his arrest. His arrest followed a series of warrants and health-related excuses.
Since 2021, the CBI has been investigating a trans-border cattle smuggling case with allegations of illegal cross-border cattle trade. Mondal’s name had come up during the investigation. This arrest was one of the significant actions by the CBI in the case, along with the arrest of TMC leader Partha Chatterjee.
Furthermore, Anubrata’s daughter Sukanya was also arrested in the case from Delhi. ED had called her for questioning regarding unaccounted properties and bank accounts. She was arrested after she was unable to provide satisfactory answers. She previously evaded ED summons.
It is evident that TMC leaders have been involved in multiple multi-crore scams. While CM Banerjee flaunts her “clean” image, her ministers have been found indulged in scams at different levels.
