West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will meet Abida Islam, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata, amid allegations against an All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MP of funnelling money from the Saradha chit fund to the Jamaat-e-Islami-Bangladesh (JIB).
The Chief Minister is scheduled to meet Ms. Islam at the State Secretariat at 4 p.m. on Monday. An official of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, however, said the meeting was not related to the ongoing probe in the Saradha Chit Fund scam.
“Ms. Islam is leaving the country (India) shortly, so we have asked for an appointment with the Chief Minister. It is a routine courtesy call,” the official said.
The meeting, however, is significant, in the background of several intelligence and media reports that have indicated that AITC MP, Ahmed Hassan Imran, had given money to Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JMB), to destabilise the Awami League government in Bangladesh.
Media reports have also indicated that the money was acquired by Mr. Imran from Mr. Sudipta Sen, CMD of the Saradha Group. The Awami League is considered a pro-India party in Bangladesh, while the JMB is a key opposition party.
Mr. Imran, who was earlier interrogated by the CBI, for selling his newspaper to Mr. Sen at an exorbitant amount, denied any involvement in the scam. “The amount is properly accounted for. No money was handed over to anyone in Bangladesh and it was duly explained to the CBI,” Mr. Imran told reporters after he was interrogated by the investigating agency.
