Kolkata, February 21 Former West Bengal minister and suspended TMC leader Partha Chatterjee, who was released on bail in November last year in connection with the SSC recruitment scam, visited his Behala West assembly constituency in the western part of the city on Saturday after a gap of more than three years.
Chatterjee was arrested on July 23, 2022, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after crores of rupees were allegedly recovered from the apartments of his close aide Arpita Mukherjee, and he had spent three years and three months in jail in connection with the case.
"What better occasion than International Mother Language Day, which is today, to meet the electorate of my constituency, hear about their issues and renew my relationship with them," Chatterjee told reporters while leaving his Naktala residence in south Kolkata.
The suspended TMC MLA, however, refused to speak about whether he wanted to contest from the seat again in the upcoming assembly polls, and claimed, "It is not in my hands."
"Today, I personally visited my constituency. My office has also been open throughout to listen to people's problems. The administration also ensured that the services were not interrupted," he said after visiting the assembly segment.
The veteran politician had once served as TMC's secretary-general and a key strategist even before the party's rise to power in 2011.
Asked about the recent announcement of a slew of allowances by the state government, including Yuva Sathi, the former senior cabinet minister said, "There is nothing wrong. This is the prerogative of a state government. These measures are meant for the social welfare of the masses. Allowances and economic grants had been announced by the CPI(M) government in the past."
However, the thrust should always be on creating job opportunities for the youth as grants and allowances cannot be the alternatives, he added.