Bengal SSC Scam: Partha Chatterjee Suspended From TMC, Removed From Mamata Banerjee Cabinet

Bengal SSC Scam: Partha Chatterjee has been sacked as minister in-charge of his departments with effect from 28th July.

Trinamool Congress senior leader Partha Chatterjee (Source: File photo/Getty)

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress senior leader Partha Chatterjee, accused in West Bengal SSC recruitment scam, has been sacked as minister in charge of his departments with effect from 28th July, said the Government of West Bengal, as reported by news agency ANI. Partha, who was the state secretary general, member of the national working committee and a member of party's disciplinary committee, has been suspended by the TMC and removed from all party posts till the investigation is underway, said TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee as reported by ANI.

Partha Chatterjee has been removed from TMC along with the post of General Secretary, National vice president & three other posts. He has been suspended till the investigation is underway. He can come back if proven not guilty: TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee pic.twitter.com/lxadGt5OHN

— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2022

"There will be zero tolerance for corruption. Investigating agency must complete the probe within the time limit. Even in Saradha case nothing happened, it's just lingering. There should be a time-bound investigation," the minister said while talking to the media on Thursday.

"Partha Chatterjee, minister in charge, department of industry, commerce and enterprises, department of information technology and electronics, department of parliamentary affairs and department of public enterprises and industrial reconstruction, is hereby relieved of his duties as MIC of the aforesaid department with immediate effect," an official order said, as reported by news agency PTI.

Partha Chatterjee, accused in West Bengal SSC recruitment scam, relieved of his duties as Minister in Charge of his Departments with effect from 28th July: Government of West Bengal pic.twitter.com/12Asu6b4L8

— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2022

"I have removed Partha Chatterjee as a minister. My party takes strict action. There are many plannings behind it but I don't want to go into details," said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee as reported by ANI.

"Money recovered from a girl and they are showing it continuously. I have relieved him (Partha) because my party is a very strict party. If someone thinks that they can change perception by showing this they are wrong. The play is very big. I won't tell it now," said CM during an industrial promotion board meeting.

Earlier today, as the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) probe, continues, Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide to Partha, made stunning assertions about the situation.

Arpita Mukherjee, during the interrogation conducted by Enforcement Directorate (ED), said that all money seized from her house is of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee’s, ED sources claimed. 

She said that money was delivered by Partha's aide or, on occasion, by Partha himself. She, too, stated that she was not permitted to access the chamber where the money was stored.

Another Rs 29 crore in cash was seized from Arpita Mukherjee's Belghoria residence in North 24-Parganas today. According to ANI, the total cash collected from her premises currently stands at over 49 crore.

The ED raided Arpita Mukherjee's Belghoria residence for 18 hours on Wednesday, until this morning.

After questioning her, two flats in Belghoria were raided earlier on Wednesday. Money and gold worth around 20 crore were discovered in one. According to reports, Arpita Mukherjee stated that Partha Chatterjee exploited her home as a "little bank."

Mukherjee is a close aide of Partha Chatterjee, who was detained by ED in the multi-crore money laundering case.

According to ED authorities, Mukherjee has been "cooperative throughout the probe," but the former Bengal education minister has been "uncooperative."

The investigating agency also discovered two journals from Mukherjee's house and stated that coded entries in a black executive diary and one pocket diary might provide vital clues to the WBSSC money trail.

Both journals contain multiple coded entries that they think relate to the origins of the earnings from the multi-billion dollar West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities scheme.

In conjunction with its inquiry, the ED detained Chatterjee, who is also the TMC secretary general, on Saturday.