Trinamul Congress MLA Jiban Krishna Saha, arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the multi-crore recruitment scam on Saturday said that he is confident of continued support from his party leadership in this moment of crisis.

This morning, while the CBI sleuths were taking Saha for a medical check-up, he stopped for a while and interacted with the media persons. “I have committed no crime and hence I am confident that party leadership will stand by me,” Saha said.

Advertisement

Trinamul Congress legislator Saha, who was recently arrested by the CBI in connection with the alleged multi-crore recruitment scam, has now been reported to be drawing double salary — both as an MLA and as a teacher in a state-run school.

The authorities of Debagram High School in Birbhum district, where Saha was a teacher, has reported to the state school education department that despite not attending his teaching duty for a single day since he became an MLA in 2021, Saha had been drawing his salary on a regular basis.

The school authorities have also recommended that the credit of his salary to his bank account should be stopped immediately. When reminded by the media persons that it is the official stand of Trinamul Congress not to back anyone within the party who are involved in corruption, Saha said that since any guilt is yet to be proved against him, he is continuing to enjoy the support of his party leadership.

Saha is the second Trinamul Congress MLA after former West Bengal education minister and party secretary general Partha Chatterjee, who had claimed continued party support, even after his arrest in connection with the multi-crore recruitment scam. Reacting to his statement, Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha member Dr Santanu Sen claimed that it is true that the official stand of the party is not to back anyone involved in corruption irrespective of his or her position in the party.

“But again, it is a matter of investigation on whether the central agencies are deliberately isolating and harassing legislators of a particular political party,” he said. Currently, three Trinamul Congress legislators are in custody over their alleged involvement in the recruitment scam.