TMC leader Saayoni Ghosh skips ED appearance for election campaign

 Says will appear as many times as called after panchayat polls

PTI, Kolkata, Jul 5, 2023 : Trinamool Congress leader Saayoni Ghosh will not appear before sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday as she is busy campaigning for the West Bengal panchayat elections, party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

The party’s youth wing president was asked to appear before the ED officials at its city office on Wednesday in connection with the agency’s investigation into alleged irregularities in school job recruitments.

“Saayoni Ghosh has sent a letter to the ED stating her inability to appear before its officials today as she is busy campaigning for party candidates for the panchayat elections,” Ghosh told reporters here.

Panchayat elections in the state are scheduled to be held on July 8 and campaigning for the polls will end on Thursday.

She appeared before ED sleuths here on June 30 in connection with the probe and was asked to appear before it again on Wednesday.

The TMC spokesperson said that the party’s youth wing president will be campaigning at Galsi in Purba Bardhaman district.

“She has stated in the letter to the investigating agency that she will be available for cooperating with its probe after the elections,” he said.

He said that Saayoni Ghosh has sent around 530 pages of documents as was asked for by the ED.

Earlier this month, the ED had summoned TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for questioning in connection with the same probe.

Former education minister Partha Chatterjee, his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee and several senior officials have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the jobs for money scam.