ED summons TMC heavyweights Sujit Bose and Rathin Ghosh in municipal recruitment scam ahead of polls

The Enforcement Directorate has issued summons to two senior All India Trinamool Congress ministers and election candidates, Sujit Bose and Ratheen Ghosh, intensifying political tensions in Bengal ahead of the assembly elections. The summons are related to the ongoing investigation into the municipal appointments scam, which has now implicated high-profile leaders. Sujit Bose is to appear on April 6 and Ratheen Ghosh on April 8 at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake, raising questions about how campaigning schedules will be managed amidst legal scrutiny.

Earlier this week, Debashish Kumar was also questioned extensively in connection with the same land scam, suggesting a widening probe by the central investigative agencies. Officials believe the cases are interlinked and that thorough questioning of all implicated leaders is crucial to ensure a complete investigation before the polls. The summons come at a politically sensitive time, with both ministers actively engaged in election campaigning across key constituencies.

The All India Trinamool Congress has strongly criticized the timing of the notices, terming them as “politics of revenge” and alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party is leveraging central investigative agencies to intimidate opposition candidates. TMC leaders argue that issuing legal notices immediately before elections is a deliberate attempt to create mental and social pressure on their ministers and disrupt campaign momentum.

Despite the political uproar, the Enforcement Directorate maintains that its investigation is independent and driven by evidence. Recent raids across multiple locations in the state yielded large sums of cash and documents considered suspicious, reinforcing the need to question all implicated leaders. Authorities insist that linking these findings is essential to ensure accountability and uphold the integrity of the electoral process.