AGARTALA: Opposition parties in the state have mounted pressure on chief minister Manik Sarkar to resign over the alleged involvement of his government and party in the Rose Valley scam. This comes after the CBI served a notice to social welfare and social education minister Bijita Nath.Trinamool Congress, BJP and Congress attacked Sarkar for his decision to remove the chief of Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted under the Tripura high court's directions."Chief minister Sarkar and his cabinet must resign from their respective posts immediately for direct involvement in promoting chit fund companies and money laundering in Tripura," BJP state vice-president Subal Bhowmik said. The saffron party staged demonstrations here and in Dharmanagar on Wednesday, demanding Sarkar's resignation. Party workers also burnt effigies of Bijita Nath and Sarkar.Trinamool Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman accused Sarkar of abetting the cheating of 14 lakh middle-class and poor depositors in the state by promoting illegal organizations. "Chief minister Sarkar promoted Rose Valley in Tripura knowingly and also gave licenses to several NBFCs for their illegal business till June 2015 even after referring 37 cases to CBI," Roy Barman added. He further said Sarkar allowed these NBFCs to continue their business even after arrest of Saradha chief Sudipta Sen.Reacting to the opposition parties' demand, CPM state secretary Bijan Dhar said the Left Front government is the first state government to have enacted a law in 2000 to protect depositors, referring to the Tripura Protection of Interest of Depositors (In Financial Establishments) Act. He added that 37 cases had been referred to CBI in 2013 but it refused to accept them.He further said, "We also want the money of those who have been cheated to be returned to them. We are not afraid of the CBI's notice to a minister as we are all clean on the issue."Congress legislature party leader Gopal Roy said, "Chief minister Manik Sarkar inaugurated a Rose Valley amusement park in Agartala in 2008 even after passing the Act and the rules. The Left Front government is entirely responsible for the rise of chit fund companies in Tripura."Roy said more than 14 lakh depositors in the state had been cheated by 142 different chit fund groups in the state over the last two decades due to indulgence by the Left Front Government and CPI-M leaders. "Manik Sarkar has lost the moral right to remain in power and he has to resign," he added.

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