Agartala, June 28 (PTI): A day before CBI interrogates Tripura Social Welfare minister Bijita Nath in connection with the Rose Vally chit fund scam, the opposition parties here demanded resignation of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. Nath received the CBI notice on Saturday in which it was said that a CBI official would interrogate her at her official residence on June 29. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and former leader of the opposition, Sudip Roy Burman demanded that Chief Minister Manik Sarkar should resign owning moral responsibility of chit fund scam in the state.
“The Left Front government, despite opposition by the different political parties in the state had allowed the chit fund groups for their narrow political interests for long time and now when a minister of his cabinet had received a CBI notice, Sarkar cannot evade responsibility and should immediately resign,” Burman, an MLA told reporters. The BJP also demanded resignation of Sarkar alleging that the Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and the chit fund groups mushroomed in the state for more than a decade because of the “support” of Left leaders .
“Lakhs of people had lost their deposits due to cheating by the chit fund groups and non action by the government headed by Sarkar. So, he must resign taking the moral responsibility”, BJP vice president Subal Bhowmick said. The Congress had yesterday demanded resignation of Nath. Tripura Congress spokesman and MLA, Gopal Roy said, more than 14 lakh depositors in the state had been cheated by 142 different chit fund groups in the state over the last two decades.
He demanded that the state government make arrangement so that the people get back their money deposited in chit fund companies. “The Left Front government brought a bill named Tripura Protection of Interest of Depositors (In Financial Establishments) Act, 2000, but formulated the rules only in 2007. “During the seven years time (2000-2007), the chit fund companies looted the people of Tripura in various ways. “Why the government delayed the process of formulating rules for seven years?” he asked. In 2008, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar had inaugurated Rose Valley amusement park at Amtali here, Roy said.
