Kolkata, March 27 (IANS) In what may cause further embarrassment to West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, party Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy has admitted being "saddened and ashamed" over his name getting involved in an alleged bribery scandal.
However, he also termed the sting operation conducted by the portal Narada News as a "conspiracy".
In the sting operation, several Trinamool leaders including former union ministers, curent MPs and state ministers were purportedly caught accepting bribe.
"The 2016 Narada sting operation... I am very saddened. I feel ashamed to tell you that my name has been involved in the sting," Roy said a public meet in Khardaha in North 24 Parganas on Saturday.
"My answer is simple, the matter is pending before the court and it will give its verdict after its probe," said Roy while canvassing for state Finance Minister Amit Mitra.
But he was also quick to harp on the conspiracy angle pinning the blame on the opposition.
"It's a political conspiracy... nobody in the country is able to stomach Trinamool's progress, be it the BJP, the Congress or the CPI-M," added Roy.
The veteran leader's comments came a day after party MP and former railways minister Dinesh Trivedi disapproved of the way the Trinamool leadership handled the mater.
Replying to a query during at panel discussion organised by an industry chamber in Delhi on Friday, Trivedi had said if he were the head of the Trinamool, he would have asked those shown in the purported video footage to "sit at home" till they "come out clean" in a probe.
Distancing itself from Trivedi's comments, the Trinamool has sought an explanation from him.
