The debit operations of three bank accounts of the Trinamool Congress, holding around Rs 440 crore, have been frozen after complaints by rebel party MLAs sought a probe into the source of the funds. The move has sharpened the internal battle in the opposition party over control of its finances.
A senior police officer told PTI that the three accounts, maintained with a private sector bank, had been placed under a “debit freeze”. This means withdrawals or outward transactions cannot be made, though credits may continue to come in.
The action comes amid an intensifying power struggle within the TMC between camps led by former minister Aroop Biswas and Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee over control of the party’s organisational and financial set-up after its defeat in the recent Assembly elections.
The freeze followed complaints by 10 MLAs aligned with Banerjee to the cyber crime police station under the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, seeking registration of an FIR and a detailed investigation into the accounts.
In their complaints, the legislators questioned the source of the money deposited in the accounts and sought an inquiry into the transactions carried out through them.
According to a copy of one of the complaints, they asked investigators to find out whether the funds had come from lawful sources or from alleged unlawful activities, including suspected cut-money collections, diversion of public funds and proceeds of scams.
“It has come to my knowledge through reliable circumstances and surrounding developments that certain funds, arising out of illegal activities, including misuse of influence, dishonest financial dealings and suspected unlawful collection of money, may have been routed and subsequently deposited into bank accounts,” the complaint stated.
A senior MLA loyal to Mamata Banerjee said the faction had come to know of the police action but was waiting for formal communication. “We have heard that the three accounts have been frozen. We will know the exact details by this evening,” the MLA told PTI.
The latest development has come days after senior TMC leader Aroop Biswas wrote to the bank seeking protection of the accounts and suspension of transactions, saying the party’s deposits, estimated at over Rs 500 crore, should not be operated until the leadership dispute within the organisation is settled.
While Biswas had sought freezing of the accounts over concerns about their management and control, the rebel legislators have now asked for a criminal investigation into the source of the funds.
The complaints were filed before the same cyber crime police station that is investigating an FIR against Biswas in connection with the fiasco during Argentine football icon Lionel Messi’s visit to Kolkata.
Mamata loyalist MLA Kunal Ghosh said Biswas no longer holds the post of treasurer and has no authority to speak for the party on financial matters.
“To remove any confusion, it must be stated clearly that Aroop Biswas was once the party treasurer. However, at the executive committee meeting held on June 5, it was unanimously decided that Subhasish Chakraborty would be the treasurer. Since then, he has been discharging that responsibility,” Ghosh said.
With the three accounts now under a debit freeze, the TMC’s internal struggle over its finances has moved from a dispute over control to a wider confrontation involving police complaints, questions over the source of funds and rival claims over who can speak for the party’s financial affairs.
– Ends
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