KOLKATA: With the CBI heat in the Saradha probe creeping closer to those in power in Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday lashed out at a section of the media, accusing it of "spreading canards and indulging in character assassination", while at the same time indicating that some action is imminent on tainted leaders of her party.

"Remember, if there is one rotten mango, we remove it (Ekta jodi pocha aam beroe, amra otake shoriye di). But if you let 99 others rot due to it, then it is the rot within you that has to be cured," she said at Netaji indoor stadium, triggering speculation that the Trinamool Congress chief may not be averse to dropping a few leaders whose names have cropped up in the Ponzi scam. She also indicated that the media was to blame for the rot. "If one bad incident takes place, there is law for it. The government will deal with it firmly. But you (media), will lecture everyone but will not hear out others. Is that right?"

Though she did not mention Saradha even once, it is significant that her tough talk came in the wake of media reports about the 2010 tie-up between Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) and Saradha Tours and Travels when she was railway minister. One of her MPs is in jail, a minister has been questioned, and another is likely to face CBI interrogation. The turmoil in Trinamool can be gauged from Mukul Roy's "deal-not-in-my-tenure" comment, where his instinct was to save himself rather than defend his party chief. It has set rumour mills agog about a possible disconnect at the top in Trinamool.

"Some people are spreading malice. They are speaking lies. They are indulging in character assassination. We can be poor. We may have faced poverty. Maybe our parents could not teach us properly, we may not speak polished English. But we've never allowed injustice. We do not live by spreading malice, by indulging in negative campaign, by character assassinations. We live with our heads held high," Mamata told a gathering of teachers and students.

"This disgraceful chapter in Bengal's history is being spread by a section of media. Do not believe in this malice. There is repeated lies and slander. I went to Singapore. People there told me that why such slander when so much is being done. I replied, they can't see," she said.

"This isn't constructive but destructive. A section of media is running malicious smear campaign against Bengal. Some people are only harping on the negatives. This is not the culture of Bengal. We have to be positive and constructive. Earlier, the media used to tell people the truth."

Aware that her name, too, was being dragged into the multi-crore scam, Mamata said, "Sunlight doesn't need a torch. The person who works hard remains unaffected by praise or brickbats. Recognition comes from within, from your own sacrifice and dedication."