Partha Chatterjee suspended from Trinamool Congress: Abhishek Banerjee

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee addressing a press conference in Kolkata announced the party's decision to suspend arrested Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee from the party and its key positions.

Banerjee informed the media that, Partha Chatterjee has been removed from TMC along with the post of General Secretary, National vice president & three other posts. Chatterjee, who has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate for his alleged role in the Bengal teachers' recruitment scam, has also been suspended from the party till the investigation is underway.

"He can come back if proven not guilty," said Mamata Banerjee's Nephew in his press conference.

Earlier, the West Bengal government on Thursday removed Partha Chatterjee, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a school jobs scam, from the ministry with immediate effect.

"Partha Chatterjee, minister in charge, department of industry, commerce and enterprises, department of information technology and electronics, department of parliamentary affairs and department of public enterprises and industrial reconstruction, is hereby relieved of his duties as MIC of the aforesaid department with immediate effect," an official order said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee later said at a government event here that she will look after the portfolios held by Chatterjee for the time being.

The ED had arrested Chatterjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress secretary-general, on July 23 in connection with its investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment drives by the School Service Commission (SSC).

The central agency has also arrested Chatterjee’s close associate Arpita Mukherjee, and seized crores of rupees from her houses in different parts of the city.