AGARTALA: The ruling CPI-M in Tripura has found itself in an uncomfortable situation amid controversy over CBI interrogation of party’s central committee member and spokesperson Gautam Das last month followed by interrogation of another CPI-M leader and Tripura’s Social Welfare, Social Education, Science, Technology and Environment Minister Bijita Nath.
Addressing the media on Wednesday night Goutam Das said CBI had served him notice by electronic mail on June 15 last and interrogated him in the party mouthpiece office on the next day by an Additional SP and an Inspector regarding allegations of involvement of CPI-M party in the Rose Valley chit fund scam and role of the Left Front government.
Disclosing the questions thrown at him by the CBI, Das said the first question was how Rose Valley’s business flourished in the state? In his response, Das claimed to have said, “Strange question. How can I say how the business had flourished? Many companies do business in the state, it’s not my duty to look into how those companies are running.”
Second question, was to him whether advertisement of Rose Valley was published or not in the mouth piece of Tripura CPI-M unit when he was the editor? Das claimed to have replied: “Not only us, initially many published advertisements of Rose Valley, but later when it came to light that something was fishy about the company’s scheme and interest, we stopped publications of advertisements.”
Third question of the CBI to Das was: Did they (CPI-M mouthpiece) publish news to make people aware that the Rose Valley was a chit fund? Das claimed to have replied that they had no information that depositors were duped but government advertisements to make commoners aware against investing in chit funds.
Das said, the CBI further asked for his response to news that the Tripura government had helped the business of Rose Valley and other chit fund companies to flourish in the state? Das claimed to have replied: “It is baseless and false propaganda against the Left Front government in Tripura.”
Fifth CBI question to das: Did Tripura government give a plot of land for the Rose Valley Park? He replied that no land was given.
Sixth question of the CBI: Did you meet Gautam Kundu? `Never’ was the reply of Das.
Seventh question: Did the Rose Valley give fund to any political party and leaders? Das’ reply: How I can tell, to whom they (Rose Valley) had given money. But this much I can tell that CPI-M never takes any money from corporate houses.
In reply to a query, why the CHI asked questions related to the state government to Das who is not a functionary in the government, Das said this was also my question to CBI. “It seems they (CBI) might have thought being associated with the media, I have sources so they wanted to gather information from me,” he said.
The CBI also questioned some other editors and none of them had been issued notices, but why Gautam Das was first to get CBI notice? Initially, the CBI notice to him was kept a secret but when it was leaked to media then he made a statement about CBI issuing notice to him, which triggered further controversy over the issue. Goutam Das said an attempt had been made to malign the Left Front government in Tripura. UNI