Bhubaneswar, Jan 4: Today, to protest the arrest of TMC Parliamentary Party leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay for being involved in the Rs 17,000 crore Rose Valley chit fund scam, the party activists staged dharna ahead of the CBI office here just before the arrested MP had to be taken to court. These party leaders headed by TMC MLA, Akhil Giri from Ramnagar also made an announcement that a mega rally would be organized on Jan 10 to protest the arrest of their leaders, Sudip and Tapas. Tapas has been arrested three days earlier in the same case. The party alleged that the arrest of the MPs is a conspiracy of BJP-led Central government to wipe out the TMC in West Bengal.
On the other hand, the lawyer of the arrested leader, Rajiv Majumdar stated that he would soon lodge a bail petition at the court. He also stated that he would be filing this bail petition as his client has some health related issues which he wants that the court should take into consideration. He further said that the CBI needs to submit proof of its allegation put upon Sudip that he had taken money from the Ponzi firm. However, Sudip is a mere accused and all allegation against him are baseless and infact he has been made arrested with a politically vindictive approach.
The TMC workers also blocked the state BJP headquarters in Central Kolkata just after the TMC leader had been arrested. The senior party members also demonstrated dharna ahead of the CBI’s Salt Lake office from where Bandyopadhyay was flown to Bhubaneswar yesterday. Bandyopadhyay is a four-time MP and former Union minister. He is the fifth and most high-profile Trinamool leader to be arrested in Ponzi scam related cases so far and he calls his arrest a reward to him for his good performance in the Parliament.
