Bengal minister denies wrongdoing in Saradha deal

Kolkata: West Bengal Textile Minister Shyamapada Mukherjee summoned by the Enforcement Directorate probing the Saradha chit fund scam, Monday rejected the allegations of selling a cement unit at an inflated price to the tainted company.

Mukherjee Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning regarding the sale of a plot of land along with a cement unit in Bankura district allegedly at an inflated price in 2009.

Mukherjee, the first state minister to be interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate in the Rs.10,000 crore scam, also denied that Saradha promoter Sudipta Sen, now behind bars, was politically pressurised to make the transaction.

"There was no political pressure, neither it was sold on an inflated price. Is there any standard market price that is prevailing? It is obvious these are all baseless allegations," Mukherjee told media persons before entering the Enforcement Directorate office here.

Eminent actor-director Aparna Sen, who was the editor of Parama - a magazine published by the Saradha group - too appeared before the agency for questioning Monday.

Bollywood superstar and Trinamool parliamentarian Mithun Chakraborty was also questioned in Mumbai in connection with the scam