Interview is a blueprint to tarnish my career: Suranjit

He bins link with railwaygate scam, threatens legal action who attempts to tarnish image of his 'innocent family'

 

 

Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta addressing a press briefing at the media centre of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Wednesday. 

Five day's into the interview of driver Azam Khan, the whistleblower of the railwaygate scandal, Suranjit Sengupta on Wednesday termed it as a blueprint to tarnish his 55 years political career.
The embattled minister without portfolio also denied any type of link of his family with the railwaygate scam.
"My family does not have any link with the corruption of Railway. I am the victim of a blueprint aiming to demean a political family. Media is crossing its limits," Suranjit said.
Suranjit was addressing a press briefing at the media centre of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban to clear his stance against the backdrop of driver Azam's claim.
"There had been many attempts in different times to tarnish the characters of the politicians. I fall victim of it," he added.
"I have been proved clean and innocent in the investigation," he said.
Suranjit also threatened to take legal action against the people who were trying to tarnish the image of his 'innocent family'.
During an interview aired by Rtv on Friday and Saturday, Azam claimed that he on one occasion had carried Tk 2 crore collected from railway jobseekers as bribe to Suranjit's house.
Azam also claimed that the Tk 74 lakh stashed in his car was being taken to the then railway minister Suranjit's house.
Azam was the driver of Suranjit Sengupta's sacked-assistant personal secretary (APS) Omar Faruq Talukder.
During the interview with the private television channel, Azam also claimed that not only as minister, Suranjit had also been involved in the recruitment and transfer business while he had been the head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
The driver also claimed that railway's money had been used in the telecom business of former railway minister Suranjit's son Soumen Sengupta.
The driver went into hiding since the railwaygate scandal surfaced on April 9. The interview was his first appearance before the media after the incident.
On the night of April 9, he drove Faruq's microbus into Pilkhana, the headquarters of Border Guard Bangladesh, and divulged that Tk 74 lakh was stashed in the vehicle.
Apart from Faruq, railway's general manager (east) Yusuf Ali Mridha and Dhaka division security commandant Enamul Huq were in the microbus.
After the vehicle entered Pilkhana, border guards detained the four, including Azam, for the night but let them go the next day when their identifications were confirmed.
Faruq was later sacked while Mridha and Enamul were suspended over the scandal.
During the nearly 30 minutes briefing on Tuesday Suranjit also questioned the emergence of driver Azam after six months of the incident.
"After six months, the driver surfaced anew changing his voice. He is now talking like a politician," Suranjit said.
"One man came and said something when all investigations are over. Now, I am again asked to resign," he said.
"My post is very important. Now they are telling me to give up the post. Again after six months another one will come and they will again ask me to give up my parliamentary position. Last of all they will come and ask me to leave the country," Suranjit said.
"Soumen is my only son. He is brilliant. He is not involved in politics. Because of my political career, he is also victimised. The media declared outright that Soumen's telecom company is established with the money of the Railway department," he said.
"I am grateful to all of you. This attempted strive of tainting the characters of politicians will be thwarted. Truth will prevail over all odds," he said.
Suranjit also questioned Rtv's intention of airing the interview saying why only one TV channel telecasted the interview.
Suranjit posed a question to journalists saying, "How did one particular TV channel brought Azam back? Did this question rise in the mind of any one of you?"
"It is the characteristic of politicians to marginalise some one. I am a victim of this," he said.
"I have 55 years of political career. Police raided to nab Azam six months earlier. How did Azam appear now?"
I had set an example by resigning from the post of a minister for the sake of proper investigation, he said.