West Bengal Leaders Allegedly Returning Bribe Money Amid Accusations

In West Bengal, allegations of corruption involving leaders associated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have come to light. Reports indicate that some local leaders are returning bribe money, referred to as 'cut money,' which was allegedly collected in exchange for facilitating benefits under government schemes. In Cooch Behar's Ghughumari area, announcements were reportedly made via loudspeakers about returning the money. Similarly, in Mathabhanga's Subhashpally area, 14 beneficiaries of a housing scheme were refunded commissions they had paid.

In Murshidabad's Nutangram, a village deputy head, Sirajul Sheikh, was arrested following complaints of accepting bribes ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 under the Bangla Awas Yojana. Meanwhile, in South 24 Parganas' Namkhana, ₹5,000 collected from villagers under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was reportedly returned. A local panchayat member, Madhav Chandra Laya, claimed to have refunded money to 45 villagers, alleging that the funds were collected under pressure from senior officials and TMC leaders. However, no formal police complaints have been filed in this case.

In Nadia district, irregularities were found in the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, where 173 men were listed as beneficiaries in a program meant for women. District Magistrate Srikant Palli confirmed that these names were removed after an investigation. Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari alleged that nearly 30 lakh out of 2.2 crore beneficiaries under the scheme might be fraudulent and called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.

The state government has formed an 'Institutional Commission,' chaired by retired Justice Biswajit Basu, to investigate allegations of financial irregularities, including misuse of government funds and cut money. BJP leaders have accused the TMC of threatening villagers to extract money, while TMC leadership has denied any involvement, stating that individuals found guilty must answer for their actions.