Mamata Banerjee cautions party leaders against raising funds

Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday cautioned party leaders and workers from getting involved in raising funds and said she would quit the party if her words were not paid heed to.

During a closed-door meeting of party MPs and MLAs here, party insiders quoted Banerjee as saying, "If I come to know about such things (raising funds), then I will no longer remain with the party."

She warned Trinamool leaders from getting associated with ponzi companies and said the party would punish those who were found guilty of doing so, party sources said.

Banerjee's caution comes on the heels of the arrest of suspended Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh for his connection with the Saradha group's ponzi scam.

"You all should stay away from chit fund companies and no one should be related with them. If anybody is found guilty, he will be punished. We have already arrested those who have been found involved in chit fund companies," she was quoted as saying.

Ghosh was arrested on November 23 by the Bidhannagar Police on a complaint of alleged non-payment of salaries filed by the general manager of a company Broadcast Worldwide, a Saradha group media outlet.

"If needed we will beg to run our party, but will not run on chit fund money. We will raise funds for the party by selling pictures and posters. The party has never used any kind of money from chit fund companies," the party insider quoted her.

In the meeting, sources said, Banerjee lashed out at the erstwhile Left Front regime and said the chit fund business had thrived in Bengal during their tenure.

"It is the Left Front which was answerable as it was during their rule that chit fund companies thrived. What was the SEBI and the Centre doing then?" sources said quoting her.

Banerjee on Friday also warned her ministers to work hard and finish their projects within time, party sources said.

"I am working hard day and night for the welfare of the state, but there are few who get up at 11 in the morning and go to sleep by 8 at night. This is not done. You have to finish your projects on time," she was quoted as saying.

Banerjee also cautioned against any activity in educational institutions where the TMC's image gets tarnished, party source said, adding she asked state education minister Bartya Basu to form a monitoring committee to look into the matter.