ED asks TMC's Abhishek to appear on Oct 9, party terms it BJP's 'vendetta politics'

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to appear before its officers here on October 9 in connection with the West Bengal school jobs scam, an official said on Wednesday.

The probe agency also summoned Banerjee’s wife Rujira for questioning on October 11, an official said.

“Our officers will question Banerjee on October 9 and his wife on October 11 in connection with the school jobs scam. Both have been asked to come to our office at the CGO Complex here,” the officer told PTI over the phone.

Earlier, the ED had summoned the TMC leader’s parents Amit and Lata Banerjee to appear before its officers this week in the same case.

The Diamond Harbour MP, who was asked by ED to appear before it on October 3, had skipped the summons and participated in the party’s protest rally in New Delhi against the BJP-led central government demanding immediate release of central funds allegedly owed to the state.

Trinamool labeled ED’s summons as “Abhishek-phobia” and “vendetta politics” of the saffron camp following the party’s protests in New Delhi this week against the Centre for allegedly withholding dues of the state government.

“Before our protest programme, summons was sent to Abhishek Banerjee to scuttle it. After all the ploys failed to stop us from conducting the agitation, they resorted to dirty tricks. The summoning of Banerjee is nothing but an example of vendetta politics and Abhishek-phobia,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

The TMC had conducted protests in the national capital on October 2 and 3 when their leaders were detained.
Banerjee, along with party lawmakers, state ministers and supporters, including MGNREGA workers, staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after they held a two-hour sit-in at the Rajghat on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary before being evicted by police.

Reacting to TMC’s allegation, the BJP said the central agencies don’t need to consult the TMC before summoning anyone.

“The probe into the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) scam is being done per the court’s instructions. If the TMC is not afraid of anyone, why are they apprehensive of appearing before the central agencies? If they have any complaint, they can always seek legal remedy,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

Banerjee, who was questioned by ED for nearly nine hours in the teacher recruitment scam on September 12, had then said the interrogation was an effort to prevent him from participating in the INDIA meet and a testimony to the vital role TMC is playing in forging the opposition unity.

The two-time TMC MP from Diamond Harbour has been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) twice in the coal pilferage case in the agency’s office in the national capital in 2021 and also in Kolkata in 2022.