Partha Chatterjee brought disgrace to himself, party: TMC spokesperson

Kolkata, July 28: As the Enforcement Directorate found huge cash once again during its raid at the flat of Arpita Mukherjee, close aide of Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, on Wednesday in connection with school jobs scam, a Trinamool Congress spokesperson said that the minister brought disgrace to himself and the entire state.

"Partha Chatterjee has brought disgrace to himself and the entire state. He must be immediately sacked. This incident proves the level of corruption in the TMC and the state government," Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

His comments come in the backdrop of the recovery of huge cash from one of the flats linked to Arpita Mukherjee, considered a close associate of arrested West Bengal Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee.

The unaccounted money was found five days after the agency seized more than Rs 21 crore in cash, besides jewellery and foreign exchange, from another flat of Mukherjee, who was also arrested on July 23.

"This development is a matter of great concern. Such incidents have brought disgrace to the party and shame to all of us. He (Partha Chatterjee) is saying why he would quit as minister. Why is he not saying in the public domain that he is innocent? What is stopping him from doing that?" "I hope the party would take note of the public perception and take appropriate steps," he said.

On Twitter, he claimed that the party should expel him. He wrote, "Partha Chatterjee should be removed from ministry and all party posts immediately. He should be expelled. If this statement considered wrong, party has every right to remove me from all posts. I shall continue as a soldier of @AITCofficial. [sic]"

Ghosh had earlier said it has to be seen how Chatterjee sheds the tag of being "influential" without quitting as a minister of several departments.