'I don't have time for ED inquiry', TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said - I will send the required documents

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), in connection with the ongoing investigation into the West Bengal teacher recruitment scam.

Banerjee has been asked to appear before the ED authorities on June 13. However, the TMC MP has declined to comply with the summons, stating that he is occupied with public relations campaigns and the upcoming panchayat elections.

In response to the ED's summons, Banerjee addressed the media in Nadia district late on Thursday night, expressing his reluctance to waste time on what he considers futile inquiries by central agencies. He revealed that his wife had been questioned earlier in the coal scam case, and subsequently, he received the notice to appear before the ED on June 13. Asserting that he is not a servant of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Banerjee emphasized that he is obligated to appear before central agencies whenever they summon him.

However, due to his engagement with public relations programs and campaigning for the panchayat elections scheduled for July 8, he expressed his inability to visit the ED office.

Banerjee, the general secretary of the TMC, expressed his willingness to cooperate with the ED by providing the necessary documents. However, he conveyed that he could only participate in the inquiry after the conclusion of the panchayat elections. He maintained that he is not legally bound to appear before investigating agencies. Banerjee further suggested that the ED's summons is an attempt to hinder his successful public relations campaign, but he remained firm that such tactics would not deter him. He also highlighted the fact that although he has cooperated with central agencies in the past, there should be a limit to harassment. Banerjee referred to a previous instance where the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) called him, resulting in a nine-hour interrogation.

It is noteworthy that the ED had already interrogated Abhishek Banerjee's wife, Rujira Banerjee, for approximately four hours in connection with the coal scam case on Thursday. Shortly after, the ED issued a notice to Abhishek Banerjee. An ED official informed the media that Banerjee has been summoned to appear at the ED's Kolkata office on June 13 at 11 am. The official mentioned that the interrogation would primarily focus on the information obtained from the arrested accused individuals, Sujay Krishna Bhadra and Kuntal Ghosh. The ED aims to gather more details from Banerjee regarding Bhadra and Ghosh's statements, as they have raised several other pertinent questions related to the scam.

Previously, on May 20, the CBI had interrogated Abhishek Banerjee for over nine hours at its Kolkata office as part of the investigation into the