Kolkata, Oct. 2 -- ,After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed in a Press statement on Thursday that a record label and recording studio run by singer and former state minister Indranil Sen paid Rs 30 lakh to former Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Mamata Trinamool spokesperson and Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh dismissed the claim as "a politically motivated effort to distort the truth".
Ghosh said: "Mamata Banerjee received royalties for her books, lyrics and music compositions for a long time. Sen's organisation is involved in marketing those songs across the state and beyond and has been paying her royalty for that. It is a long-standing, standard practice. Her songs are popular and are played on public platforms. A lyricist or music composer receiving royalty is standard procedure. It was not paid in cash but through banking transactions after deducting tax at source in a fully legal manner." Ghosh pointed out: "This income has been duly declared in her income-tax returns. She cannot be linked to independent actions of a company..."
The ED's two-page release posted on X said: "More than Rs 3.8 crore (cash) was deposited into the bank accounts of Sen and his proprietorship concern (Octave Records) during his tenure".
The statement added: "Nearly Rs 30 lakh was transferred from the bank account of Octave Records via banking channels to Mamata Banerjee, then CM, which Sen claimed was paid ... (as) royalty."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.