Kolkata, Sep 13 (UNI) West Bengal ruling TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate ED) officials at the CGO Complex in the city responding to the central agency’s summon in the alleged teachers’ recruitment scam in the government-sponsored schools across the state, official sources said.
As per directive, Banerjee, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, arrived after 11 AM at the CGO Complex at Salt Lake and went straight to the ED officials at the 6th floor to face the questions, sources said.
The summon date to Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee coincided with the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc’s coordination committee meeting in New Delhi.
Banerjee is a member of the INDIA group’s coordination committee.
Banerjee on Sunday said the ED notice required him to appear before the agency on September 13.
“FIRST meet of INDIA’s coordination comm (committee) is on 13th Sept in Delhi, where I’m a member. But @dir_ed conveniently served me a notice just now to appear before thm [them] on the VERY SAME DAY! One can’t help but marvel at the TIMIDITY & VACUOSNESS of the 56-inch chest model. #FearofINDIA, ” Banerjee posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The ED is probing the money trails of the alleged teachers’ recruitment scandal following a Calcutta High Court order where the eligible candidates were deprived of getting job and “unqualified” candidates were appointed against cash.
This is not the first time that the TMC leader was summoned by Central agencies in connection with the recruitment scam.
Both ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have issued summons to Banerjee.
The ruling party on Wednesday in its media cell quoted Banerjee as saying that the ” BJP uses central agencies to fight against me. Such threats and intimidation by using CBI and ED against me won’t deter me from public services or reaching out to the masses”.
On Tuesday, Bengal Ministers Shashi Panja and Partha Bhowmick in reaction to ED summon to Party National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said, ” The INDIA Alliance Coordination Committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting tomorrow, and it’s an extremely important meeting. AITC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee is an important member of the committee. It can bedeemed as a coincidence or it can be a politically motivated move to summon Abhishek Banerjee on the very same day. ”
” BJP has Abhishek Banerjee phobia, ” they alleged.
” The chronology of these incidents should be understood. This summon came after the BJP’s defeat and Trinamool’s historic win in the recently concluded Dhupguri byelections, where Abhishek Banerjee had campaigned. BJP had won the seat in 2021 but this time, the seat was given to Trinamool Congress’ Maa Mati Manush government. Is this summon because of the BJP’s inability to accept their defeat? ” they asked.
” In the past, Abhishek Banerjee was summoned by ED after the unprecedented crowd at the Chhatra Parishad rally in 2022, and his rousing speech at the event. Even during the Trinamoole Nabo Jowar, he was summoned by the agencies after the Nabo Jowar transformed into a Jono Jowar with people’s love and blessings. Therefore, it must be noted that Abhishek Banerjee has been summoned on essential days to disrupt his schedules. ED’s summon is evidently a clear move to obstruct the political calendar of Abhishek Banerjee and to stop him from attending the first meeting of the coordination committee of the INDIA alliance, ” they stated.
” CBI and ED are being used for political gains. These agencies are being used to malign the Trinamool Congress government in our state under Mamata Banerjee. 118 cases have been filed against Opposition leaders by the CBI, out of which 30 belong to Trinamool. The way BJP is attacking the opposition out of political vendetta since coming to power in 2014 is harmful to our democracy, ” they alleged.
