Reacting to Mukul Roy’s allegation that the Biswa Bangla Marketing Corporation is owned by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, the government on Saturday said the company was 100% government owned.
This is the second consecutive day that senior officials of the State government have refuted the allegations levelled by Mr. Roy on Friday.
“The Biswa Bangla Marketing Corporation is no private entity. It is a 100% government owned company. The paid up capital is financed 100% by the Department of MSME and Textiles. If anyone claims that the Biswa Bangla Marketing Corporation is a private company, it is a totally false claim,” Rajiva Sinha, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, said.
Mr. Sinha said that Mr. Banerjee applied for the registration of the Biswa Bangla logo but later it was withdrawn. Now, both the logo and the brand belonged to the State, he said.
State Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya said the logo of Biswa Bangla was given to the State government for use by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “Any department of the West Bengal government can use the logo. So it is used in events like football tournament and film festivals and the new identity of West Bengal is linked with the logo,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
Mr. Roy said during the Friday rally that he had documents to prove that Biswa Bangla was not a government organisation but a private company owned by Mr. Banerjee.
Legal notice
It is learnt that Mr. Banerjee is planning to send a legal notice to the former Trinamool heavyweight.
“I have heard that they are moving court against my allegations. If I receive such a notice, I will give my explanation in the court,” Mr. Roy told journalists.