Kolkata, Oct 2 — –A political controversy erupted in West Bengal on Friday after Labour Minister Arjun Singh demanded the arrest of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, citing an Enforcement Directorate (ED) statement claiming that Rs 30 lakh was transferred to her from the bank account of Octave Records, a proprietorship concern of former state minister Indranil Sen, who is under investigation in connection with alleged money laundering cases.
“The people of Bengal know that Mamata Banerjee made her nephew a money-making machine. The former Chief Minister was very much a part of the game. Now everything is coming out in the open,” Singh told reporters.
He alleged that Mamata Banerjee had damaged the state's finances during her tenure and said she should be arrested.
The comments came after the ED issued a statement on Thursday naming Mamata Banerjee and former West Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen in connection with an investigation into a money laundering case separate from the "Mass Art" case, in which the organisation had been accused of selling Durga Puja preview show passes in 2024 and 2025.
Sen is already under the ED scanner in connection with the Mass Art case.
The latest matter relates to the ED's investigation into Sen's proprietorship concern, Octave Records.
According to the ED statement, during Sen's tenure as Tourism Minister in a Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee, multiple tenders worth more than Rs 85 crore from the state Tourism and Cultural Affairs Departments were allegedly awarded to entities owned by Dhrubajyoti Bose and Dipesh Roy, who were described as close associates of Sen.
The agency alleged that these entities subsequently transferred large sums of money to businesses controlled by relatives of Indranil Sen.
It also claimed that substantial cash withdrawals were made from the accounts of the entities that secured those tenders.
In the same statement, the ED claimed that its investigation revealed that more than Rs 3.3 crore in cash had been deposited in the bank accounts of Sen and his proprietorship concern, Octave Records.
The agency further claimed that nearly Rs 30 lakh was transferred from the bank account of Octave Records to Mamata Banerjee through banking channels.
According to the ED statement, Indranil Sen stated that the amount was paid as royalty.
Singh's demand for Mamata Banerjee’s arrest was based on the contents of the ED statement.
However, Trinamool Congress MLA from Beliaghata Assembly constituency Kunal Ghosh came out in defence of Mamata Banerjee.
“The money that went to Mamata Banerjee’s account from Sen's organisation was completely legal and is reflected in income tax records,” Ghosh said.
He said Mamata Banerjee had been writing and composing songs for many years and that Sen’s organisation had commercially marketed those songs.
According to Ghosh, the payments received by Mamata Banerjee were royalty payments arising from those works.
He alleged that there was an attempt to politically malign the former Chief Minister.