Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram is in hot waters again. While attending Kolkata High Court, he was heckled and called names of all sorts.
A video clipping put out on Twitter by Zee News reporter Pooja Mehta shows lawyers shouting slogans at Chidambaram for opposing his own party leader’s plea.
While one lawyer is seen shouting ‘go back’ at Chidambaram, another lawyer is heard making strong remarks that the former Finance Minister is a “stooge of Trinamool Congress”.
“It is just because of leadership like you that this party is suffering in West Bengal. And you are here to save the TMC looters.They have looted public money and you are saving TMC….you have become a dalal of TMC..dalali ki bhi had hoti hai…you are a dalal of Mamata Banerjee,” the lawyers can be seen shouting.
The case relates to the privatization of Metro Dairy by the TMC leader Mamta Banerjee and her government, selling the government share to the other partner – Keventer Agro Limited.
Chidambaram had appeared in court for Keventer Agro Ltd against West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Also read: Chidambaram’s nemesis – Indrani Mukherjee
Background:
Mamta Banerjee led the disinvestment of Metro Dairy in August 2017 in which the West Bengal government had 47 per cent stake. The other 53 per cent was owned by Keventer Agro Limited.
The state government stake of 47 per cent was sold to Keventer Agro Limited for Rs 85.5 crore. Keventer Agro was the sole bidder in the sale.
Keventer Agro now fully owned the business of Metro Dairy.
In a matter of months, Keventer Agro Limited off loaded 15 per cent stake of Metro Dairy to a Singapore based company Mandala Capital.
But it has been reported that Mandala Capital paid a whopping Rs 170 crore for its share of 15 per cent in the company.
West Bengal Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury filed a PIL demanding a CBI probe.
Metro Dairy was set up as India’s first public-private partnership project in the dairy sector in 1996 under Phase-3 of Operation Flood, between the West Bengal Milk Producers’ Federations, Keventer Agro and the National Dairy Development Board. The NDDB later sold its 10 per cent stake to Keventer Agro.
Metro Dairy Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keventer Agro, the holding company of the Keventer Group. The company is the second largest dairy player in Bengal, next only to industry leader the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, which sells its products under the Amul brand. The company also has presence in processed and fresh fruits and vegetables business. For the financial year ended March 31, 2017, Keventer Agro clocked a turnover of Rs 800 crore, while the dairy business, a revenue of Rs 340 crore.