Trinamool Congress To Raise Rose Valley Scam In Parliament, Say Sources

Kolkata: The investigation in the Rose Valley Ponzi scam which has now lurched into sex scandal turf has tumbled into the hotbed of politics, with sources saying that the ruling Trinamool Congress may raise the matter in Parliament. The ruling party of Bengal has had two of its lawmakers arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. Now the agency's embarrassment over a video footage purportedly showing one of its officers checking into a Delhi hotel with the estranged wife of the prime accused Gautam Kundu, has provided it with a shot in the arm.

Calling for verification of the footage, the state's education minister Partho Chatterjee said, "We have always been saying that the ED or the CBI is being used by the Central Government for their own purpose. They are not independent".

The Opposition says the footage is damaging for the agency but the Trinamool is not entirely clean. Two Trinamool lawmakers -- Sudip Bandopadhyay and Tapas Paul -- have already been arrested in connection with the case.

CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said it "raises questions on the investigation"  regarding its sanctity, probity. "In the name of investigation, whether the investigators are also at times are supporting the cheaters, is the question," he added.

The Enforcement officer in the eye of the storm, Assistant Director Manoj Kumar, who, reports say, has been suspended pending investigation, has denied any wrongdoing. He has claimed that he had been a "political victim" or that of some unknown "crossfire" in the state police. "It is a larger conspiracy to eject me from the case," he had said.

In the video footage that emerged from police sources, Shubhra Kundu, the wife of Gautam Kundu, was seen checking into a hotel in Delhi last month with Mr Kumar. Police sources have said the footage was tracked down after links emerged between the officer and Mrs Kundu during a probe into a money-laundering case.