PIL seeks probe into ‘rising’ assets of Mamata’s relatives; CM says they live separately

Alleging an exponential rise in the assets of relatives of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in recent years, a PIL filed before the Calcutta High Court on Monday sought an investigation into it by a central agency.

Petitioner's advocate Tarunjyoti Tewari claimed that the assets of the family members of Banerjee, who has five brothers, increased exponentially after 2013, two years after her party Trinamool Congress came to power in the state.

Reacting to this, the TMC supremo said all her relatives live separately on their own, and as for her, she does not take the due pension as a former Lok Sabha MP or salary and perks as the chief minister.

Stating that the petitioner has "highest regards for Mamata Banerjee", Tewari claimed in a press note, "the documents annexed with the writ petition show disproportionate assets of the family members." Tewari said that it has been prayed in the PIL that the high court order an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Income Tax (IT) department into the assets of the relatives of the chief minister.

Speaking at a programme of the student's wing of the Trinamool Congress here, Banerjee said that she does not take the pension of Rs one lakh per month due to her as a former MP and has also not taken any money from the state exchequer since becoming the chief minister in 2011.

Stating that she learnt from someone that a case was filed with the allegations, Banerjee said that only her late mother stayed with her and not any other relative.

"All others live separately. We only celebrate festivals - Rakhi Bandhan, Kali puja, Durga puja, Bhai phonta (Bhai duj) – together,” she said. 

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