Enforcement Directorate summons Trinamul Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee for questioning on Wednesday

Questioning, INDIA meet on same day

Meghdeep Bhattacharyya, Kinsuk Basu, TT, Calcutta,11.09.23: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday summoned Trinamul Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee for questioning on Wednesday — the day he is supposed to attend the inaugural meeting in Delhi of the 14-member coordination committee of the INDIA partnership.

Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and heir-apparent issued a statement on X (formerly, Twitter) in the evening, with an apparent allusion to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“FIRST meet of INDIA’s coordination comm is on 13th Sept in Delhi, where I’m a member. But, @dir_ed conveniently served me a notice just now to appear before thm on the VERY SAME DAY (sic)!” Abhishek wrote at 7.50pm.

In its Mumbai meeting earlier this month, the national bloc of anti-BJP parties — the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) — had announced the formation of the coordination committee with the Diamond Harbour MP as one of the 14 members.

The committee is scheduled to meet at the Delhi residence of NCP chief Sharad Pawar on September 13 to plan the coalition’s wider strategies and programmes for the immediate future.

“One can’t help but marvel at the TIMIDITY & VACUOSNESS of the 56-inch chest model. #FearofINDIA,” added the 35-year-old leader in his post. The “56-inch chest” was an obvious jab at Modi.

Senior ED officials said they wanted to question Abhishek in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitments to state-aided schools after Sujay Bhadra alias Kalighater kaku, one of the accused in the case, had said he had worked for the Trinamul national general secretary. Bhadra is in judicial custody now.

The central investigating agency had said earlier that Bhadra was the chief operating officer of Leaps and Bounds Private Limited, a company whose chief executive officer is Abhishek.

The names of Abhishek’s parents — chief minister Mamata's brother and sister-in-law — feature as directors of Leaps and Bounds Private Limited.

“We would like to clarify a few things from him (Abhishek) on the basis of our search operations at the three offices of Leaps and Bounds Private Limited,” said a senior ED official, refusing to go into further details.

Senior ED officials said its probe into the alleged irregularities was confined to tracing the alleged trail of money that exchanged several hands resulting in several illegal appointments in state-aided schools.

Reacting to the latest summons to Abhshiek from the ED, Trinamul Rajya Sabha member Shantanu Sen said: “Every single time Abhishek has an important programme lined up, the ED or the CBI summons him…. It is no coincidence.”

“As it is, they have been afraid of him and our party for a while. Now, they are even more scared with the steady strengthening of the INDIA,” Sen added.

Abhishek had appeared before the ED and the CBI in Calcutta and Delhi on several occasions in the past. His wife, Rujira Narula, too, has been interrogated by the ED multiple times.

The BJP was critical of Abhishek’s statement on the matter.

“They (the central agencies) will call him when they feel the need to call him… for this, he need not be consulted by them. He is a nobody outside the delusional Trinamul ecosystem, and need not be accorded any special treatment,” said the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari.

“Just wait and watch, what more awaits him in the future,” he added, refusing to elaborate when asked.