TMC agitates for CBI action against Tripura CM, doubts PM Modi's intention

Agartala (Tripura) [India], Jan. 6 (ANI): The Trinamool Congress unit of Tripura has started agitation in Agartala against Chief Minister Manik Sarkar-led government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for downplaying the role of Rose Valley in the state. Sudip Roy Barman, a TMC leader in the state assembly alleged that Sarkar and his other cabinet colleagues had virtually acted as the brand ambassador of Rose Valley and promoted it in the state. "We have been demanding since long that 142 non-banking financial institutes that has been executing in Tripura they have looted money of approximately more than 14 lakh investors a ransom of in and around more than 10,000 crores has been looted from the state of Tripura. But unfortunately this is the only state where neither CBI not the ED has taken entry as yet," he added. He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being biased towards Sarkar and added that the former is trying to make friendship with the Tripura Chief Minister and the Left Parties and that is why CBI and ED is not making entry, despite the Supreme Court's order to investigate the chit fund companies. "We have seen CBI taking entry in Assam, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand but unfortunately I don't know and best known to the Prime Minister of India why he is soft towards Manik Sarkar and his cabinet of Ministers. We find something fishy," he added. He described Tripura as 'epicenter' of Rose Valley as its founder Gautam Kundu started his business and later spread it in other states. The TMC MLA sharply criticized the CBI for not taking up any investigation into the allegations against Sarkar, while adopted a method of brow beating by arresting the party leaders and parliamentarians in West Bengal. "We are agitating on behalf of the 14 lakh investors out of a small state of 36 lakh population that CBI should immediately intervene and Manik Sarkar and his cabinet have been the brand ambassadors of these chit fund companies," Barman added. He further alleged that Sarkar and his cabinet ministers have promoted the chit fund companies and Prime Minister Modi is trying to save him. Meantime, Inspector General of Tripura police K. Srijesh who is in-charge of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by High Court of Tripura last year informed that till date there have been arrest of all total 112 persons of various Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) involved in looting out depositors money. He informed that the SIT has taken up 78 cases against 48 NBFCs and chargesheet in 20 cases have already been given. Besides, bank accounts of all the NBFCs have been freezed and process of attaching properties of the companies were started. According to Srijesh, it will be tough for giving a definite time span within which the investigation can be concluded but the SIT is trying hard to conclude the investigation at the earliest and help the government to pay back the victims. However, the companies are spread outside the state that becomes time taking to carry out the investigation. (ANI)