Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee Suspended From TMC

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expelled Partha Chatterjee from her cabinet following his involvement in the massive School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam in the state.

Partha Chatterjee, the secretary-general of TMC, held a wide variety of portfolios, ranging from commerce & industry, parliamentary affairs, information technology and electronics, and public enterprises & industrial reconstruction in the state cabinet.

CM Mamata Banerjee will now take over Industry and other ministries held by Partha Chatterjee for the time being.

"I have removed Partha Chatterjee as a minister. My party takes strict action. There are many plannings behind it but I don't want to go into details," Mamata said.

The calls for the removal of Chatterjee, who has been apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), had been amplifying after nearly Rs 50 crore in cash was recovered from properties linked to him.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has also suspended Partha from the party and asserted that they will adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward corruption. However, the TMC said that the arrested Minister can rejoin the party if he is proven innocent.

"Partha Chatterjee has been removed from TMC along with the post of General Secretary, National vice president & three other posts. He has been suspended till the investigation is underway. He can come back if proven not guilty," TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee told the media.

"There will be zero tolerance for corruption. Investigating agency must complete the probe within the time limit. Even in Sarada's case nothing happened, it's just lingering. There should be a time-bound investigation," Abhishek Banerjee added.

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