The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a summons to Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament, Abhishek Banerjee, requiring his presence before the agency on November 9 as part of an investigation into an alleged school job scam. This announcement came from Shashi Panja, the Women and Child Welfare Minister of West Bengal and a TMC spokesperson.
Abhishek Banerjee, who serves as the TMC's national general secretary, is set to appear before the ED on Thursday. Shashi Panja voiced the TMC's stance, referring to the situation as "vendetta politics" and claiming that Banerjee is a victim of such political tactics. She further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) employs these tactics to "harass" leaders in advance of crucial elections scheduled for early next year.
Responding to the allegations, the state BJP spokesperson, Shamik Bhattacharya, asserted that the party does not engage in vendetta politics. He pointed out that summoning by central agencies is carried out under the court's supervision, and if the TMC has any concerns or objections, it can approach the court for resolution.
During the earlier interrogation, which took place on September 13, Banerjee was questioned by the ED for nearly nine hours regarding the teacher recruitment scam. At that time, he argued that the interrogation was an attempt to prevent him from attending the 'I.N.D.I.A' meet and emphasized the pivotal role played by the TMC in forging opposition unity.
Abhishek Banerjee has previously been questioned twice by the ED in the coal pilferage case. The first questioning occurred at the agency's office in the national capital in 2021, with a subsequent session in Kolkata in 2022.
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