'Partha Chatterjee embarrassed & dishonoured TMC,' says Saugata Roy after minister sacked

Disowning its former minister, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy on Friday said Partha Chatterjee had "embarrassed and dishonoured" the party following his arrest in the SSC recruitment scam.

"I don't know if Partha is a victim of some conspiracy. He has embarrassed us and dishonoured our party. We want a complete probe with an appropriate punishment for him and his associates... we took action against him, dropped his ministerial posts and took all party posts," Roy told ANI.

The TMC distanced itself from Partha Chatterjee after cash amounting to Rs 21 crore was recovered from the residence of his close associate Arpita Mukherjee. Saugata Roy said that the party had no idea that such a thing was taking place.

"What happened is a matter of shame. I hope that truth comes to the fore after the investigation. We had no idea that such a thing was taking place. When we came to know 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, Roy said the BJP leader "talks rubbish" and clarified that Mamata had no idea about the series of events.

"Suvendu Adhikari talks rubbish. Mamata Banerjee had no idea about the ongoing incidents. We condemn Suvendu Adhikari's attempts to defame the Chief Minister. The matter is under investigation by ED. If Suvendu Adhikari has any proof, he should rather reveal it to ED, not to the media," he said.

Mamata sacks Partha Chatterjee from cabinet & party

Meanwhile, former Minister Partha Chatterjee said that he is being framed in a conspiracy, a day after he was stripped of his portfolios and his positions in the TMC by Mamata Banerjee. "I've been framed, I'm a victim of a conspiracy," Chatterjee said.

Trinamool Congress, which had been distancing itself from Partha, axed him as a minister on Thursday and suspended him from the party, leaving it to him to defend himself in the teacher recruitment scam in which Rs 50 crores have been seized from residences linked to his aide Arpita Mukherjee.

TMC's Abhishek Banerjee announced, "Partha Chatterjee has been removed from the party along with the post of General Secretary, National vice president, and three other posts. He has been suspended till the investigation is underway."

(With inputs from agency)