Kolkata:

Trinamool Congressman Saugata Roy said Friday that sacked leader and former cabinet minister Partha Chatterjee “embarrassed and disgraced” the party after his arrest in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam.

“I don’t know if Partha is the victim of a conspiracy. He (sacked WB Minister Partha Chatterjee) has embarrassed us and dishonored our party. We want a full investigation with proper punishment for him and his associates. .we took action against him, gave up his ministerial posts and took all party posts,” Roy told ANI.

Notably, the TMC distanced itself from Partha after cash amounting to Rs 21 crore was recovered from the residence of its close associate Arpita Mukherjee.

The TMC MP said the party had no idea such a thing was happening.

“What happened is a matter of shame. I hope the truth will come out after the investigation. We had no idea such a thing was happening. When we heard about it, we took action. Mamata Banerjee sacked him from the ministerial post,” he said.

Responding to Suvendu Adhikari’s allegation that the cash scam took place under the watch of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mr Roy said the BJP leader was “talking rubbish”, stating that Ms Mamata is not had no idea of ​​the series of events.

“Suvendu Adhikari is talking nonsense. Mamata Banerjee had no idea about the ongoing incidents. We condemn Suvendu Adhikari’s attempts to defame the Chief Minister. The matter is being investigated by ED. If Suvendu Adhikari has evidence, he should rather reveal it to ED, not to the media,” he said.

Meanwhile, former minister Partha Chatterjee said he was charged with conspiracy, a day after he was stripped of his portfolios and TMC posts by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, days after his arrest by the law enforcement branch in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam, in which the agency recovered money worth Rs 50 crore.

“I’ve been framed, I’m the victim of a conspiracy,” Chatterjee said.

“Partha Chatterjee has been removed from his position at TMC along with the post of General Secretary, National Vice President and three other posts. He has been suspended until the investigation is ongoing,” Abhishek Banerjee said.

The Trinamool Congress, which had distanced itself from its arrested leader Partha Chatterjee, sacked him as minister on Thursday and suspended him from the party, leaving it to him to defend himself in the Directorate of Justice probe. law enforcement in the teacher recruitment scam in which millions of rupees were seized from residences linked to his aide Arpita Mukherjee.

(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)