Kolkata

Amidst the ongoing probe into the Teachers’ Recruitment scam in West Bengal where state minister Partha Chatterjee is one of the prime accused, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday broke her silence and asserted that she 'doesn't support corruption'.

"I don't support corruption. I get a Rs 1 lakh pension from Parliament and Rs 2 lakh as a state MLA. Now count how much money I have made in the last 11 years. I have not taken a single penny besides this. My service is voluntary. Friends, I am sad and disheartened at the attitude of some political party in the last two days," said the West Bengal CM.

Terming the case as a 'woman-linked incident' the CM said, "I respect women but all are not good. I want the truth to come out. A verdict should be given based on the truth, within a given time frame. If someone is found guilty, I do not mind if they are punished with life imprisonment."

Partha Chatterjee, the Bengal Commerce and Industries Minister, was arrested on Saturday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of money-laundering linked to the case during his tenure as Education Minister in the state.

The ED personnel raided several locations in the state on July 22 as part of their probe into the money trail involved in the alleged scam at government-sponsored and aided schools.

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Crores of rupees in cash along with other items were allegedly recovered from Chatterjee’s close aide Arpita Mukherjee’s residence.