Kolkata ∙ Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has removed Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the school recruitment scam case. Mamata has taken charge of Industry, Commerce and IT departments. Apart from the opposition parties, Trinamool Congress leaders also demanded the minister’s ouster.
Partha, who is also the general secretary of the party, was arrested on the 23rd. The ED also said that in another flat owned by Arpita Mukherjee, who was arrested, Partha’s aide and actress Arpita Mukherjee was searched on Wednesday. Earlier, Rs 21 crore was seized from Arpita’s flat in South Kolkata. With this, a total of Rs 50 crore was recovered.
ED conducted searches in 2 flats in Belgaria area of the city on Wednesday. ED said that some crucial documents were also recovered from here. Partha and Arpita are in ED custody.
The BJP and the CPM intensified their criticism of the Mamata government in connection with the irregularities. A protest rally was held in the city under the leadership of BJP state president Sukanda Majumdar. The government issued an order expelling the minister when allegations were made that Mamata was not ready to take action against Partha despite being arrested in a corruption case.
When Partha Chatterjee was the Education Minister, there were widespread irregularities in appointments. The CBI is investigating on the orders of the Calcutta High Court. The ED is investigating the money transactions related to irregularities.
English Summary: Mamata sacks Partha Chatterjee from all ministries after cabinet meeting