Kolkata, Oct 29 :The rise of Bakibur Rahman, the Kolkata- based businessman arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution case in West Bengal started during the previous Left Front regime in the state.
That is precisely the new theory that a section of the ruling Trinamool Congress have started floating after the ED arrested the current state forest minister and the former state food & supplies Jyotipriya Mallick on early Friday morning in relation to the same case.
According to Trinamool Congress legislator from the Ashoknagar Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district Narayan Goswami, known to be an extremely close confidant of Mallick, said that the rise of Rahman started since 2007 when the previous CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power.
“Neither Mamata Banerjee was the chief minister of West Bengal then, nor Mallick a member in her cabinet. His rise started when Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was the chief minister of West Bengal. So ED should conduct an independent investigation in the matter instead of just concentrating on maligning the image of Trinamool Congress. A major conspiracy has been framed against Jyotipriya Mallick,” said Gowami.
However, the CPI(M) leadership has rubbished the allegations claiming that even after ruling the state for 12 years, the ghost of 34-year Left Front rule is still haunting the ruling party.
“When an event of corruption surfaces and any influential member of the ruling party is nabbed because of involvement in corrupt practices, the same old record starts playing. Let the central agencies investigate the allegations raised by Trinamool Congress. We are not afraid to face any allegation and nor we will try to get shields to avoid any probe,” said CPI(M)’s North 24 Parganas district secretariat member Ahmed Ali.(IANS)