At a time when business links of the scam-tainted Saradha Group with the Ministry of Railways under the tenure of Mamata Banerjee has come to fore, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said here on Monday that action will be taken against the guilty whosoever he or she may be.
“Since the CBI is conducting a probe, there is no need for any inquiry by the Railways,” Mr Sinha told journalists when asked whether the Railways will conduct an inquiry into it or not.
The CBI which is probing the scam has found that Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation under Ministry of Railways along with Saradha came up with a special tourist train to South India towards the end of 2010 .
Former Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that when the matter comes up, the Railways must inquire into it.
“If the Minister has said that the Railways cannot make an inquiry, then it means the BJP is giving concession to Mamata Banerjee or the Minister is not serious about the issue,” Mr Chowdhury said.
The development is significant as the ruling All India Trinamool Congress is trying to distance itself from the Saradha group. Political parties in the Opposition used the new revelation to target Ms Banerjee claiming that through such business links she tried to provide benefit to the Saradha group.
Another central agency Enforcement Directorate quizzed former Doordarshan director general Rathikanta Basu in connection with the scam.
Mr Basu told journalists that ED officials had asked him to appear before the agency in connection with the sale of Tara TV channels formerly owned by Broadcast Media Worldwide to the Saradha Group.
