Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, has ordered the state’s authorities to look into any properties registered in her name or the names of her family members and bulldoze them if any illegalities are discovered.
Banerjee has ordered the Land and Revenue department’s chief secretary and principal secretary to look into the properties registered in her name.
The leader of the Trinamool Congress further said that she would pursue legal action if any member of her family received a notification from the government investigation authorities, even though things had “become difficult these days owing to BJP’s intervention.”
When questioned about the allegations made by opposition parties about the money amassed by her and her family members, the chief minister made these comments at a news conference on Wednesday at the state secretariat.
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“It may be demolished if it is shown that I have infringed against any property or assisted someone (in my family) in doing so. So destroy it; you don’t need anyone’s permission, said Chief Minister Mamata to state authorities.
She made these comments in light of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoning her nephew, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, once again to appear before its officials on Friday as part of its continuing probe into the coal smuggling fraud.
She said that she would have left politics long ago if she had known sooner that it would one day simply include mudslinging and rumor-mongering. However, the leader of Trinamool said that she has never harmed anybody and is not afraid of them.
Mamata criticized the BJP, saying, “The BJP claims that Kalighat is receiving money from the coal scandal, but they don’t identify any specific individuals. Is Maa Kali receiving the funds?”
It should be noted that Mamata Banerjee resides in the Kali temple-rich Kalighat neighborhood of Kolkata. CM Mamata said about the cattle smuggling issue, “The Union Home Minister is in charge of livestock and coal. It is within his purview.”
The CBI detained a senior TMC leader named Anubrata Mondal for refusing to cooperate with its investigation into the cattle scam.
At the same time, Abhishek Banerjee, regarded as the second-in-command of West Bengal’s ruling party, was summoned in connection with the coal scam investigation by the ED.
“Cows come from Assam, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. I no longer permitted the movement of livestock. We were instructed by the Centre not to halt the passage of (cattle-carrying trucks) even during Covid “She said.
In a PIL submitted to the Calcutta High Court on Monday, it was claimed that the assets of Banerjee’s family had increased exponentially in recent years. The PIL asked for a federal body to look into the matter.
As the chief minister, Banerjee, said, I do not get a salary. I am a seven-term member of parliament, yet I do not get a pension. I have enough money from selling my books and paintings to cover my expenditures.”
In this regard, she criticized the media for purportedly distributing news items without checking their accuracy.
Banerjee said, “Without hesitation, you (the media) accuse anybody of being a thief. Without any support, you are disparaging other people. Why do you (the press) care how many homes someone has or what his property is worth?
