Kolkata: After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now summoned Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for questioning in connection with the alleged multi-crore school recruitment scam in West Bengal.
Banerjee has been asked to be present at ED’s office in Salt Lake on June 13.
Incidentally, the ED custody of Trinamool confidant Sujay Krishna Bhadra a.k.a ‘Kalighater Kaku’ (uncle of Kalighat) will end on June 14. There is speculation that ED might question Banerjee and Bhadra together on June 13.
It is learnt that ED officers personally delivered the notice at Banerjee’s residence in South Kolkata on Thursday afternoon. Till this report was filed, it was not clear whether Banerjee will appear at the ED office or seek some more time.
Sources said that some new clues relating to the school recruitment case surfaced following the questioning of Bhadra, and Banerjee has been summoned to confirm some facts available with the central probe agency.
Reacting to the development, Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha member Santanu Sen said that the Union government and the BJP are crossing all limits of political vendetta.
“The manner in which Abhishek Banerjee and his family members are being harassed through central agencies is simply unthinkable. The people of West Bengal will give a fitting reply to them (BJP) in due course,” he said.
To recall, the CBI had questioned Banerjee in connection with the same case for nine hours on May 20. However, Banerjee had described the outcome of that marathon grilling as “big zero”.
“It was a waste of time for me as well as for the interrogators. For the sake of propriety, I cannot divulge the details of the questioning. But the entire exercise was futile,” Banerjee had told mediapersons then.
Incidentally, his wife Rujira Narual Banerjee was questioned for about four hours on Thursday by the ED in connection with the multi-crore coal smuggling case.
–IANS
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