Kolkata: Trinamool Congress all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee informed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that he could not appear before it for questioning in connection with the teachers' recruitment scam today. He said that he would be able to appear before it after the panchayat elections that are scheduled to be held on July 8. A communication in this regard was officially conveyed to ED through Banerjee's advocate.
Banerjee had been asked to appear before ED at 11:30 am on Tuesday at the CGO Complex in Kolkata. In his letter explaining about his inability to appear before ED, Banerjee stated that he had helped in the investigation in the past and will extend similar help in the future. He clarified that it is not possible to visit the ED's office at the CGO complex on Tuesday because he is not in Kolkata and is presently travelling across the districts as part of the party's 'Trinamoole Nabo Joar' mass outreach programme to connect with the people of West Bengal.
With rural elections already been announced, Banerjee said he is busy with the preparations and it is not possible for him to appear before the agency now. Also, he said that he was collecting information that the agency had sought from him earlier. It was learnt that information of more than a decade had been sought from him.
Earlier, the TMC MP had alleged that ED's summon was a ploy to keep him away from campaigning for the panchayat polls as the BJP is well aware that it will not be able to fight against TMC politically.
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Last month, the Central Bureau of Investigation had questioned him for more than nine hours following the Calcutta High Court's permission to allow central agencies to question him. On June 8, Banerjee's wife Rujira was questioned by the ED for four hours in connection with the coal pilferage scam.
