Mukul's conspiracy theory baseless, laughable: Trinamool

Describing as "baseless and laughable" BJP leader Mukul Roy's claim that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has hatched "a big conspiracy" to frame him in the Narada sting footage scam, former Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh on Sunday demanded Roy be immediately arrested.

"The conspiracy theory of Mukul Roy is completely baseless and laughable. CBI is investigating. It is under the Union Home Ministry. Mukul Roy himself is in BJP. Why should the CBI hatch a conspiracy against a BJP leader? It's totally bogus," said Ghosh, a former Rajya Sabha member earlier arrested in the Saradha ponzi scam.

Ghosh argued that IPS officer S.M.H. Mirza's purported statement in CBI custody implicating Roy in the scam was in the public domain for long.

"We had seen it long back in video footage. From then on, Mirza has been taking Mukul Roy's name. There is no scope to say that Mirza has mentioned a new name or that is a conspiracy. Roy should be arrested immediately," said Ghosh.

Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee called Roy's statement about Banerjee conspiring against him "the biggest joke ahead of the Durga puja festival".

On the other hand, state BJP President Dilip Ghosh said anyone called by the CBI should cooperate.

"CBI is enquiring. Whoever is being called, he should cooperate. People want to see the truth revealed," he said.

Roy was grilled by the CBI for two and a half hours in the Narada footage scandal on Saturday. On Sunday, Mirza - arrested for his involvement in the scam - was taken to Roy's south Kolkata flat for vieography of the reconstruction of the crime.

Mirza had purportedly claimed in the sting footage clips that he was close to Roy and collected money on his behalf. He also was seen talking over phone in the footage with someone whom he assured that an amount of Rs 1.70 crore had been deposited at the right place.

A CBI officer on Sunday claimed that Mirza had said during his custodial interrogation that he gave the "huge amount" to Roy at the latter's south Kolkata flat.IANS