West Bengal: TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee Questioned By ED For Over Nine Hours

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee faced a lengthy nine-hour questioning session by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday regarding his involvement in the state's recruitment scandal. Speaking to the media afterward, Banerjee summarized the experience as "-2."

He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of intentionally obstructing his participation in the alliance I.N.D.I.A, which coincided with his ED summons. Banerjee criticized those who, unable to engage with the TMC politically, resorted to employing government agencies for their agendas. He recounted a similar instance when the CBI had summoned him with just one day's notice while he was attending a party event. He emphasized that he returned to Kolkata to fulfill his commitments and requested the ED to reschedule his summons after the rural polls.

Banerjee criticized the agencies for their perceived lack of impartiality in their investigations. He pointed out that investigations into cases like the Saradha ponzi scam and Narada bribery case, which occurred years ago, were still ongoing. Referring to TMC leader Partha Chatterjee's arrest in July the previous year, he noted that more than 14 months had passed without any substantial developments. Banerjee stated that if there was any evidence against him, the ED should present it in court, expressing his concern that such summons had become routine and often coincided with election periods.

In a swipe at the BJP, Banerjee suggested that the central agency should first summon Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who was named in FIRs related to both the Saradha and Narada cases but had not been called by the agencies. He accused the BJP of attempting to divert attention from critical issues by creating a divide between "Bharat" and "India" and asserted that the agencies seemed particularly active in non-BJP states. Banerjee concluded by likening the agencies to "Jatayu," a character in the Feluda series, alleging that they identify a suspect and then concoct crimes against that individual.