PNB fraud: Congress, CPM demand discussion on Nirav Modi scam in West Bengal Assembly

Kolkata: The Opposition Congress and CPM on Tuesday demanded a discussion on the Punjab National Bank fraud case in the ongoing session of the state Assembly. The ruling Trinamool Congress is yet to take a call on the issue and mocked Congress and CPM for staging a walkout from the House during most of the discussions. [caption id=“attachment_4359019” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] “We want a discussion on the PNB fraud case in the ongoing session of the state Assembly. We hope the ruling party won’t have any objection. We will submit it very soon,” Leader of Opposition and Congress MLA Abdul Mannan said. The CPM echoed Mannan’s view. Asked whether a discussion will be allowed on the issue, state Parliamentary Affairs minister Partha Chatterjee said, ‘’the TMC has been most vocal against the PNB fraud case’’. ‘‘When discussions are being held in the House both Congress and CPM either stage a walkout or create a ruckus. They are more interested in showing their faces on television channels rather than taking part in debates. Whether a discussion will be held or not will be discussed and then decided,’’ he said. A political slugfest is on between the BJP and the Congress over the PNB scam with both parties blaming each other for allowing Nirav Modi, at the Centre of the fraud and his associates to flourish during their respective tenures. The PNB, the second largest state-run bank, had on 14 February informed the exchanges about detecting USD 1.77 billion fraud at its Brady House branch in Mumbai and named the firms led by Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi’s Gitanjali Group, and some other diamond and jewellery merchants as suspects.