AGARTALA: Opposition MLAs on Saturday called for an investigation into the role played by chief minister Manik Sarkar in the Rose Valley and NBFCs scam."If several West Bengal leaders were arrested on similar charges without solid evidence in a few cases, why has Sarkar not been picked up for abetting Rose Valley?" BJP MLA Sudip Roybarman, who switched over to the party from Trinamool Congress recently, said. "Sarkar talked up Rose Valley and encouraged people to invest in it," he added.At another press conference, Congress MLA Ratan Lal Nath said, "Manik Sarkar's wife Panchali Bhattacharjee, a former central government employee, and her siblings signed a real estate deal with the owner of two forged companies." Nath alleged that Ratan Kumar Choudhury had floated a construction company with which Panchali and her siblings had signed a land promotion agreement.Choudhury, Nath said, was able to become a developer in Tripura and West Bengal because of his proximity to Sarkar. Choudhury, "I want an independent investigation into the links between the chief minister's family and Ratan Kumar Choudhury," he said. The MLA, who is rumoured to be on his way to joining BJP, added, "Bhattacharjee and the others issued power of attorney to Choudhury, who cheated people of crores after promising big returns on investment. He is now out on bail after being charged in a case of criminal forgery."Panchali has denied the allegations and said her husband is not involved in any way. "We got a plot of land from our parents, which was given to the construction company to build housing flats. We are not associated with Choudhury any longer. As per norms, we issued power of attorney to the promoter for developing the plot. We didn't do anything wrong," she said. She added that the credentials of Choudhury's company, Tirupati Construction Company Pvt Ltd, was not known to her.The chief minister did not comment on the allegations. CPM state secretary Bijan Dhar dismissed the allegations. "These are old issues which we have clarified several times. I don't know what the opposition MLAs intend to do by raising it again just as the election approaches," he said.

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