Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said her government was putting together documents related to “illegal” properties belonging to BJP leaders, who have been mounting charges of corruption on Trinamul ministers and leaders.

“Those who own 60-80 trawlers, houses in anonymous names, petrol pumps and crores of unaccounted money are now making loud statements (against her ministers and leaders over their illegal properties). We did not look into those subjects earlier but are now putting all such documents in order. We can bring the cats out of the bag once the documents are made public,” said chief minister Mamata Banerjee while addressing a news conference at the state secretariat Nabanna on Wednesday.

Her comment came at a time when Opposition party leaders, especially the BJP, raised questions over illegal properties belonging to former food and current forest minister Jyoti Priya Mallick whom the Enforcement Directorate arrested on Friday while tracking the money trail in an alleged scam in public distribution system.

“We are not aware of the rates of land which were sold by someone in charge of Haldia development authorities during his tenure as a minister. I formed the Digha Development Authority for better development. However, a large parcel of land was given to set up 600 hotels there. We did not dig up such things earlier. If we do so, the cat will be out of the bag,” she added.

A source in Trinamul said though the chief minister did not take any name, her reference to selling land belonging to the Haldia Development Authority was aimed at the leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. As a minister in Mamata’s cabinet, Adhikari headed the Haldia Development Authority.

Adhikari did not take much time to hit back at the chief minister. Taking hints that Mamata’s attack was aimed at him, Adhikari said he was an honest political leader and his properties had been declared while filing income tax returns.

“We are honest politicians. Each and every property, even if it is a chair or a table, is shown in income tax papers. There is no question of the sale of land as such decisions were taken up by the cabinet since Mamata Banerjee came to power. I challenge
her to do what she has said. I have defeated her once (in Nandigram) and it will continue. She will have to face Suvendu Adhikari in any Lok Sabha seat where Mamata Banerjee will contest in 2024,” Adhikari told reporters when asked about Mamata’s comment.

Taking forward the corruption debate, Mamata requested BJP leaders to draw up a list of honest and corrupt leaders in the saffron camp. “We ask the BJP here to prepare a list of their honest leaders and another list of those having huge wealth,” Mamata said.

Samik Bhattacharya, the chief spokesperson for the BJP, said if Mamata Banerjee’s government could reveal such properties belonging to any BJP leader, she could take legal action.

“If she has such documents, let her approach the ED and the CBI. Her state government has its own machinery to prove (such claims). Let her do it,” said Bhattacharya.