Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the SSC teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, was removed as a minister from the state cabinet after a chorus grew for his removal following the scam.
"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.
CM Mamata Banerjee later said that she will look after the portfolios held by Partha Chatterjee for the time being.
The law enforcement agency had arrested Partha Chatterjee on July 23 in connection with his involvement in the alleged irregularities in the recruitment drives by the School Service Commission (SSC).
The central agency has also arrested Partha Chatterjee’s close associate Arpita Mukherjee and over ₹50 crore from her houses in different parts of the city.
Earlier in the day, some Trinamool Congress ministers had demanded the removal of Partha Chatterjee following his arrest in the SSC teacher recruitment scam.
"Partha Chatterjee should be removed from ministry and all party posts immediately. He should be expelled. If this statement is considered wrong, party has every right to remove me from all posts. I shall continue as a soldier of @AITCofficial (TMC)," TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh tweeted.
Echoing him, TMC spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya, whose 'Khela Hobe' song headlined the party's 2021 election campaign, also demanded that Chatterjee be expelled.
"As a party worker, I feel that we don't deserve this public humiliation because of one person. The leadership should take note of it and expel him from the party," he said.
