Amartya Sen denies recommending impersonator for government job

Kolkata, April 26 (IANS) Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen Thursday denied recommending Anjan Bhattacharya, who is facing prosecution for allegedly impersonating a relative of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, for a job in a state government company.

A media statement released by the Pratichi Trust, founded and chaired by Sen, said the economist had denied knowing Bhattacharya or making any recommendation in his favour.

"He (Sen) has no recollection of any Anjan Bhattacharya nor could he have recommended him to Deb or anyone else. He is appalled at the suggestion and astonished to hear his name invoked in the context of the debate," reads the statement signed by Manabi Majumdar, the director of the Trust.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Gautam Deb had claimed that Bhattacharya got the job as a public relations officer in the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) during the Left Front (LF) regime as he had Sen's recommendation. Deb was housing minister and HIDCO chairman then.

Bhattacharya, currently under Criminal Investigation Department (CID) custody, was arrested at East Midnapore's Contai Saturday for identifying himself as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's brother Kartick Banerjee.

Following allegations that he had close links with Bhattacharya, Deb Tuesday rubbished the accusations.

"He had recommendations from none other than Amartya Sen, so we took him. I have already briefed Sen about the misdeeds of Bhattacharya. The accusations against me are being done deliberately to malign me," Deb had told the media.