ED acting at behest of Chidambaram, Bengal government alleges

West Bengal government today alleged that the Enforcement Directorate took action in Saradha chit fund scam at the behest of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and questioned the timing of the "political action before the election".

"ED all of a sudden has become active before the election.

What is it upto? What is the message it is trying to give? It is acting on behalf of its political masters, especially Finance Minister P Chidambaram under whose jurisdiction the ED falls," State Finance Minister Amit Mitra told reporters here.

Mitra's outburst followed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's flare-up against the SEBI for what, she alleged, it's remaining silent over the scam and against Chidambaram.

"What was the ED doing for the last one year? What prompted it to jump into action all of a sudden?" Mitra asked.

He also attacked Congress vice President Rahul Gandhi for attacking the state government over the alleged inaction in the Saradha deposit scandal.

"His comments show his immaturity and inexperience. He should have inquired after what the state government had done in dealing with the scam and ensuring that those who had been cheated get back their money," he said.

Mitra also questioned why the ED was silent on other scams across the country.