The CPM on Thursday gathered in front of the CBI and ED offices at the CGO complex in Salt Lake here, demanding that central agencies finish at the earliest their investigations into various alleged corruption cases in Bengal.

CPM leaders and workers on Saturday walked in a rally from Ultadanga to the CGO Complex in Salt Lake, where a meeting was held.

At the gathering, the secretary of the CPM state unit Md Salim demanded that central agencies conduct probes impartially and without political bias. Salim accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamul government of depriving deserving candidates of government jobs to hand them out to the undeserving for cash.

“Bhaipo (Mamata's nephew, Trinamul leader Abhishek Banerjee) planned to take a few lakhs (of people) to Delhi (for a protest against the Centre holding up Bengal's dues). Barely 2,000 turned up. I strongly believe the entire thing was scripted and planned between the BJP and Trinamul,” Salim said, adding the ruling parties in Bengal and the Centre were hand in glove.

The procrastination of central agencies in probing into the teachers' and municipal hiring "scams" reflected the pact between the BJP and Trinamul, several CPM leaders at the rally said.

CPM leaders, including veterans Biman Bose, Surjya Kanta Mishra and Sujan Chakraborty said despite court-monitored probes, the central agencies at the behest of the BJP were going slow and high court judges were voicing concerns about the delay.

Speaking at the rally, Chakraborty said the ED's lackadaisical attitude in taking action against Abhishek was despicable.

“They get salary from taxpayers, yet want to shield the corrupt government. The court has pulled up the ED many times but the central agency seems reluctant to pull up its socks,” Chakraborty said, alluding to a "setting" or a pact between the BJP and Trinamul.

Echoing CPM leaders, an elderly party worker who walked the entire length of the rally from Ultadanga to the CGO complex, said: "The battle against corruption has to be fought on the streets as we can never expect transparency from ED with Trinamul managing to strike an understanding with the top BJP leadership to save the kingpins of the state's corrupt cartel. Even high court judges are expressing exasperation over the ED and the CBI's delay in getting to the bottom of the scams."

A CPM delegation also gave a memo to ED officials, demanding a transparent and faster probe into the "scams".

As leaders entered the CGO Complex to deliver the memo, Salim told the gathering: “With the BJP-Trinamul setting, the ED-CBI duo is trying their best to push the scams under the carpet. This must stop. Deserving teachers must be recruited. Scam kingpins must go to jail. The recruitment process must be transparent.”