Bhubaneswar: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials produced Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay in a court here Wednesday and sought to take him on a 12-day remand in connection with Rose Valley chit fund scam.
The court, however, allowed the agency to take the TMC leader on a six-day remand for questioning him for his ponzi links.
A four-time MP and minister of state in Manmohan Singh government, Sudip was arrested after he failed to give satisfactory replies to questions put to him by the CBI sleuths who thought he was evasive.
Earlier, TMC leaders led by Ramnagar MLA Akhil Giri protested outside the CBI office here against the arrest of party leaders Sudip and MP Tapas Paul who is already on a three-day-remand since Tuesday.
TMC’s Orissa unit leaders led by state president Arya Kumar Gyanendra joined the protests outside the CBI office here. The party announced that it will take out a rally January 10 in protest against the arrest of the duo.
A two-member delegation of TMC also met senior CBI officials here and lodged protest against the arrests. Party workers alleged that arrest of the two MPs is a conspiracy by the BJP-led government to weaken the ruling party in West Bengal.
“BJP has planned to eliminate TMC after party supremo Mamata Banerjee called for nationwide protests against demonetisation. We will take out a mega rally in Bhubaneswar January 10 in protest against the CBI action,” Giri claimed.
In a bid to show solidarity with Sudip, senior TMC leaders like Partha Chatterjee and state President Subrata Bakshi will most likely come to Bhubaneswar this Sunday to meet him, sources said.
Meanwhile, Sudip’s lawyer Rajiv Majumdar said he will urge the court to grant bail to his client on health grounds. “CBI has to prove the allegation that Sudip had gained from the ponzi firm. His arrest is a clear case of political vendetta,” Rajiv added.
CBI sources said the agency might question the two MPs together in connection with the ponzi case.
Rose Valley duped more than `17,000 investors in different states. While Sudip is accused of being a promoter of the tainted firm, Tapas is accused of being one of the directors of the firm.
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