Dhupguri by-poll defeat, INDIA meet led to ED summoning Abhishek: TMC

Kolkata: The TMC on Tuesday claimed that the Dhupguri by-poll defeat and successful meetings of the INDIA opposition bloc have led to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issuing summons to its general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

"The summons by the ED to Abhishek Banerjee to appear before it on September 13 is a direct result of the defeat in the Dhupguri by-polls, where BJP lost the seat to us," senior TMC minister Sashi Panja said.

"The BJP is petrified after the successful meetings of the INDIA opposition bloc and wants to stop Abhishek Banerjee, who was scheduled to be present at its first coordination committee meeting in Delhi on September 13, at any cost," she claimed.

Another TMC minister Partha Bhowmick hit out at the saffron party and said "The BJP can continue with its harassment of the party's leaders but we are not going to cow down before it. Abhishek Banerjee is not a coward and has committed no wrong".

In the last nine years the ED and CBI have lodged 118 cases against leaders of opposition parties, out of which 30 are against the TMC. "The BJP cannot fight us politically as it has always tasted defeat whenever it has tried to do so. So it is using central agencies to fight the proxy battle for it," he added.

The ruling Trinamool Congress wrested the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district from the BJP after defeating it by over 4,000 votes in a triangular contest.

As September 13 coincides with the first coordination committee meeting of the opposition bloc 'INDIA', which he is a member of, Banerjee will skip its first meeting to appear before the Enforcement Directorate, party sources said.

Banerjee Monday confirmed to PTI on Monday that he will appear before the ED on September 13 as summoned by the central agency.

On Sunday, the TMC leader posted on 'X' that he has been served a notice by the central probe agency to appear before it on September 13 for questioning.

Reacting to the TMC claims, BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya dubbed TMC's allegations of using CBI and ED for harassing Banerjee as "baseless".

"Whenever the TMC leaders get summoned by the CBI or ED they blame us. If they have any grievances they can move court," he said.

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had on Monday denounced the summons sent by the ED to Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew who is also accused in a case related to cow smuggling, terming it as a bid to "browbeat a youth leader".

"This is political vendetta. Summoning Abhishek is unnecessary harassment and this could boomerang. There is nothing against me. They want to damage the power of our youth wing. But the youth in Bengal will not tolerate it," Banerjee said.

"They are unnecessarily disturbing Abhishek in several ways. They have no evidence against him. To get justice, he may have to move the Supreme Court or lower courts. They constantly keep attacking my family and I don't think it is appropriate to talk about it in the press. There is nothing against him and he is just being harassed. He is a young man and the young generation is with him," she added.

In June, the ED had sent a notice to Banerjee summoning him to appear before it on June 13 for probe into the alleged illegal appointments in government and government-sponsored primary school jobs scam in West Bengal.

Banerjee had then declined to comply citing his engagements with the mass outreach campaign then and the July rural polls in the state.

He had previously undergone nine hours of questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on May 20 connection with its investigation into the primary school jobs scam.