Summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to appear in its office in Delhi, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday attacked the BJP Government for using the ED and Central
Bureau of Investigation as tools of political vendetta against the political opponents who they failed to defeat in elections.
Moments before boarding the flight to Delhi, Banerjee said in an apparent reference to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, “it is an irony that those who were seen in camera accepting money rapped in towels and newspapers are not called by the ED or CBI … the leaders whose names were mentioned by Sudipto Sen (Sharada chit fund kingpin) in his letters to Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) and Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) are today ruling as the Chief Minister of a neighbouring State or the Leader of Opposition in Bengal … instead
they (ED) are harassing the TMC leaders because here the BJP was given a shameful defeat in the elections.”
The TMC MP — who is also the nephew of the Bengal Chief Minister — and his wife Rujira have been summoned by the ED to Delhi in connection with a money laundering case related to cow and coal smuggling.
A fuming junior Banerjee who had on an earlier occasion been grilled by the ED in Delhi said that neither he nor his party would be bow down before the BJP.
“We will hold our heads high … we will never bow down before the BJP … let them use ED or CBI … the people are watching everything,” he said questioning even the decision of the Delhi High Court let the central Agency summon him to the national Capital.
“It is quite strange that the decision was held pending before the Delhi Court --- where I had appealed against me being summoned to Delhi --- for four months and suddenly this order letting the ED summon me there … I have no problem appearing in Kolkata … but now I have to go to Delhi despite the fact that I have an eye surgery conducted on me … Still I will obey the orders and cooperate with the ED because I am a law abiding citizen,” he said.Referring to an earlier speech he said that if the ED could prove that he had “embezzled even 10 paise … then I will get myself hanged publicly… there is no need to put ED and CBI after me.”
The BJP had won elections in four States but it failed to defeat the TMC in Bengal which was why it was taking out its anger on the TMC leaders Banerjee said.