Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for more than 11 hours on Monday in connection with the alleged West Bengal primary school recruitment scam.
Banerjee arrived at the ED’s CGO Complex office in Kolkata just before 11 am after being summoned in a money-laundering probe tied to purported irregularities in the hiring of primary teachers. Officials said investigators had prepared roughly 24 questions for the TMC leader, as reported by DNA.
The extended ED session followed an earlier interrogation by the West Bengal CID, which on Sunday had questioned Banerjee for about eight-and-a-half hours over alleged forgery of MLA signatures on documents linked to the appointment of the Leader of Opposition.
Leaving the ED office at roughly 10:15 pm, Banerjee told reporters he had cooperated fully and answered every question posed to him. He referred to previous appearances before central agencies, including two in Delhi, and said he would continue to comply with summonses as required.
‘I Won’t Cower Down’
The TMC leader also attacked the BJP, blaming it for damaging his party and for committing post-poll violence.
He said: “I was questioned for 8-8.30 hours yesterday and for 11 hours today. This is a 2023 case, and I have appeared before the agency 10-12 times. I won’t say whether there is political pressure or not. The less it is said about the BJP, the better it is. On one side, they break our party and indulge in post-poll violence. Even if you slit my throat, I won’t cower down. I will appear before the agency if they summon me even in the future.”
12-Page Questionnaire
Sources said a 12-page list of questions had been drawn up for Banerjee on Monday, and each question was put to him during the ED proceeding.
Officials will review his responses on Tuesday to decide the next steps in the probe into alleged corruption in primary teacher recruitment. Another summons could be issued this week if investigators find contradictions in his statement.
Banerjee had been asked earlier this month to appear before the central agency to join the ongoing inquiry into claimed irregularities in the recruitment process for primary teachers, which is being scrutinised for suspected financial wrongdoing and procedural lapses.
The ED action follows its January move to provisionally attach immovable properties valued at about Rs 57.78 crore through the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (SSC) Assistant Teacher Recruitment Scam (Classes IX to XII).
After leaving the ED, Banerjee went to Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence, arriving at around 10:30 pm. He stayed for roughly 10 minutes, and then left for his own home.
