ED issues summons to Abhishek after grilling his wife

Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee was on Thursday served a notice by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear before the agency on June 13 in connection with the West Bengal school job scam hours after his wife Rujira Banerjee was questioned by the agency in connection with the coal pilferage scam. Ms. Banerjee was stopped at Kolkata International Airport on June 5 and was served a notice by the investigation agency asking her to appear before the agency on Thursday.

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Ms. Banerjee reached the office of the ED at CGO complex accompanied by her lawyer at 12.40 pm and left around 4.20 pm. Last year on June 23, she was called for questioning by the ED in the same case. Abhishek Banerjee has also been questioned by the central investigation agencies twice in connection with the coal pilferage scam. The central investigating agencies have also issued summons to Monica Gambhir, Rujira’s sister in the same case that involves illegal mining at leasehold mines of the Eastern Coalfields in Kunustoria and Kajora areas near Asansol in West Bengal. The agencies are also looking at funds deposited in foreign bank accounts.

The ED’s summons to the Trinamool general secretary came 19 days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) interrogated him in connection with the recruitment scam. The Trinamool Congress leadership has accued the central agencies of harassing Mr. Banerjee and his family.

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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said it was a family matter. “Please, (since) it’s my family matter and I do not want to talk about it. Rujira is a mature girl. If needed she will talk about it,” the Chief Minister told reporters at the state secretariat.

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Reacting to the summons, Mr. Banerjee said that there was no question of abandoning the Trinamool Congress’s outreach event and attending to the notice.

He said that the summons was sent to the residence of the Chief Minister and he will take a decision after panchayat polls. The Trinamool general secretary is travelling to the districts as part of his party’s outreach plan ‘Trinamoole Naba Jowar’ ( Trinamool’s New Wave).