Will step down if it’s proved I helped chief of Saradha: Minister

West Bengal minister and TMC leader Madan Mitra on Monday said that the opposition parties were spreading canards against him during the Lok Sabha elections and he would step down if it was proved that he had helped Saradha chief Sudipta Sen or his family.

‘The opposition is spreading canards against me. I will resign if anyone can prove that I helped any family member of Sudipta Sen or his wife Piyali, who is now in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate,’ Mitra told reporters here.

‘I will resign and seek a fresh mandate if anyone can prove my involvement in the scam,’ he said.

Stating that the letter dated 6 April, 2013 written by Sudipta Sen to the CBI did not mention his name, he said, ‘Then why has my name been dragged into this issue which is raising questions among voters of Kamarhati assembly constituency which I represent.’ 

Mitra alleged that corporate affairs minister Sachin Pilot gave registration on 6 April, 2013 to a Saradha company while he had acknowledged in March 2013 in the Lok Sabha that 73 companies including Saradha had been blacklisted for unfair trade practices.

Blaming RBI for overlooking activities of Saradha, he said that the Saradha companies had their registration renewed by the Registrar of Companies though there was no audit from 2006 to 2013.

Without taking names, Mitra said that media houses had no qualms in taking advertisements from chitfund companies.

‘Why did media houses take huge advertisements from Saradha?’ he asked, adding that the Group had started its business in West Bengal during the Left Front regime.