Mamata Banerjee said BJP had bought land at Baruipur, the Dum Dum-Belghoria area and Memari
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the BJP's state unit of buying land with black money, claiming it knew about the centre's move to ban old 500 and 1,000-rupee notes in advance.
"Big, big scam," she said in the state assembly, adding "It's a huge scam."
Waving papers that were apparently land deeds, Ms Banerjee said the BJP had bought land at Baruipur, the Dum Dum-Belghoria area and Memari.
"Can you deny it? How did you buy so much land? Why? With whose money?" she demanded. "You have bought land in the name of Ashoka Road (address of BJP headquarters in Delhi). You have done it across the country, in Bihar and in Bengal," she added.
Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh dismissed Ms Banerjee's claims saying, "I challenge Didi. You made so many offices. Where did you get the money? BJP will show all papers for party offices in 33 districts."
"She is asking about our money source?" said another BJP leader Jaiprakash Majumdar. "People will soon start asking about hers," he added. The reference was to the Saradha chit fund scam and the Narada expose in both of which Ms Banerjee's party Trinamool Congress is allegedly involved.
Ms Banerjee said, "A Supreme Court judge should probe the land scam."
Ms Banerjee's charge echoes accusations by Janata Dal United or JDU in Bihar which, last month, alleged that a series of land purchases made by the BJP in the state for party offices were designed to pre-empt the centre's crackdown on black money.
The timing, the JDU alleged, was suspect. 23 land deals were allegedly made between August and September.
On November 30, the Congress reportedly accused the BJP of buying land in 18 districts of Odisha ahead of the notes ban. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala reportedly alleged that the BJP leaders bought land cheap and that the demonetisation decision is the "biggest scam" in the country so far.
The BJP bought land at Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Berhampur and Jharsuguda, he claimed.