Kolkata, Mar 12 (IANS): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said chit fund money would be returned to the duped investors in West Bengal if the saffron brigade comes to power in the 2021 Assembly polls.

"Only the BJP can return the chit fund money. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating the case. The properties they have confiscated will be sold off and the money will be returned to the people who had invested in those ponzi firms," Adhikari said at a public meeting in Haldia.

Besides holding the public rally, he also took out a mega roadshow from Khudiram crossing at Haldia before filing his nomination from East Midnapore's Nandigram Assembly constituency on Friday. Union Minister Smriti Irani and Dharmendra Pradhan were there with the BJP's Nandigram candidate.

Adhikari also visited the Singhabahini Temple in Nandigram's Sonachura this morning. From there he also went to Janakinath Temple and offered puja. He also performed Yagna there before going to the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) office at Haldia. Armed with saffron flags, thousands of people marched in the roadshow with the BJP leaders while shouting 'Jai Shree Ram' slogans.

Union Minister Smriti Irani further attacked Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government for not allowing Central's welfare schemes in Bengal. "PM Modi is introducing various development schemes and Mamata Didi is reaping all the benefits by renaming them in Bengal," Irani said.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that the ED investigations in the multi-crore chit fund scam has nothing to do with the Bengal elections. "Suvendu Adhikari is just trying to capitalise on the public sentiments to win votes in the forthcoming polls. This is nothing but vote politics," Ghosh said.