"TMC didn't cooperate when in power, now ED, CBI conducting inquiries strictly": BJP MLA Pawan Singh

North 24 Parganas (West Bengal) [India], June 13 : BJP MLA Pawan Singh on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC), alleging large-scale corruption during its tenure in West Bengal and claiming that central and state investigative agencies are now intensifying scrutiny of several leaders.
Speaking to reporters, Singh referred to ongoing investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), alleging that these agencies had faced non-cooperation when the TMC was in power.
"You are all aware that agencies like the ED and CBI have been investigating these people for a long time. When TMC was in power, they wouldn't cooperate with the investigations at all. Now that they are out of power, the ED, CBI, and CID are conducting inquiries with great strictness," Singh said.
He further claimed that multiple TMC leaders were either already under investigation or would soon come under the scanner. "It is not just about Madan Mitra; many others are facing or about to face similar scrutiny," he added.
Alleging systemic corruption, the BJP MLA said that "everyone is deeply mired in corruption" within the TMC and asserted that investigative agencies were doing their job to "uncover the truth."
Singh also raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the education sector, claiming that schools and colleges were being used for financial gain. "Take fees, for instance; the government-allotted fee is quite low, yet these people charge exorbitant amounts... There is absolutely no oversight of their education system," he said.
He further alleged large-scale financial discrepancies, claiming that funds were being siphoned off from educational institutions. "If they are siphoning off 1 crore 70 lakh rupees from schools, just imagine what else we might witness in the future," Singh stated, adding that "the truth will come to light once investigative agencies step in and unearth the evidence."
This comes after CID officials raided TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's Kalighat residence in the early hours of Saturday in connection with the signature forgery case.
An FIR has also been registered against TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee. The FIR was registered at Hare Street, Kolkata Central Division, on June 7 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 196(1), Section 351(2) and Section 352.
In his complaint, Tushar Kanti Das, alleged that on March 9 this year, Mamata Banerjee delivered "a misleading speech intended to provoke a breach of peace, affect public tranquillity, maintain communal harmony, and threaten the democratic structure of the state".
Earlier today, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted search operations at seven premises linked to Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator and former minister Madan Mitra in Kolkata in connection with an ongoing investigation into the alleged municipality recruitment scam in West Bengal, officials said.