In reaction to TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee's announcement that he will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 3 in connection with the school jobs scam case in Kolkata, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the Diamond Harbour MP alleging he does not want to appear before the central agency as he will be exposed if complies with carries all the documents sought from him. The West Bengal BJP unit has accused the TMC leadership of obstructing the investigation.


BJP leader Rahul Sinha expressed skepticism regarding Banerjee's reasons commenting, "He has been summoned, and it's up to him to go... Everybody knows that this time Abhishek Banerjee will not go because his truth will be exposed if he carries all the documents sought by the ED. Abhishek Banerjee will not appear before the ED on October 3."



Agnimitra Paul, the West Bengal BJP general secretary, likened Abhishek Banerjee to a Bengali theatre artist named Shanti Gopal. She remarked, "The Banerjee family is already a drama company. They are experts in theatrics. But this drama will not help. His priority should be to appear before the ED regarding his company 'Leaps and bounds,' which does not have a CEO and Director. The directors are his mother and father; how did an ordinary consultancy company have transactions worth crores? There are so many consultancy companies that are not summoned by the ED. Where did they get that crores of money?"



Paul went on to question the Diamond Harbour MP, asserting, "He (Abhishek Banerjee) will have to give an explanation (to ED). He says 'Stop me if you can.' Why does he think that he is very important? Who is he? Just an MP."


Moreover, she criticised Abhishek Banerjee's reasoning regarding the TMC's protest in the national capital, pointing out his comparison with a previous ED summons.


The TMC leader had previously claimed that the ED's previous summon to him was an attempt to obstruct his participation in the coordination committee meeting of the opposition bloc, I.N.D.I.A. He was questioned for nearly nine hours in the teacher recruitment scam on September 13.


BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya commented, "No one is bothered about whether he is attending a summons or not. Lakhs of job aspirants have been duped, and their careers have been destroyed because of this scam. The TMC wants this probe to stop", as quoted by PTI.


Notably, Congress workers protested outside the Nizam Palace (CBI office) in Kolkata, expressing concern about the 'slow investigation' into the job recruitment scam. 



CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty added to the criticism, suggesting that the timing of the summons and the TMC's programme indicated a political motive. "When the programme is pre-announced and the ED is summoning him on the same day, it is quite clear that it is just an attempt by the BJP and central agencies to make him relevant and ensure that the entire media glare is on him. The BJP and the TMC have a tacit understanding, and such instances only prove it," he remarked, as per PTI.


Earlier in the day, Abhishek Banerjee announced his intention to participate in the TMC's protest programme in New Delhi on October 3, skipping his ED summon related to the school jobs scam in Kolkata.


Challenging the ED without naming anyone, he asserted that the fight for the rights of West Bengal and its people would continue undeterred. He stated, "No force on Earth can hinder my dedication to fight for the people of WB and their fundamental rights. I'll be in Delhi joining the protest on Oct 2nd & 3rd. STOP ME IF U CAN!" on 'X'.



TMC Alleges 'Conspiracy To Disturb' Party's Delhi Protest


The ED's summons, which coincides with the TMC's planned rally in New Delhi on the same day, has been described by the TMC as a BJP ploy to disrupt their event.


 "All India Trinamool Congress has a program on October 2 and 3. We have been deprived by the central government because they are not releasing our funds of over Rs. 1.5 lakh crores in different schemes. So, Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee have announced a program. We are going to Delhi. But, they declined to give us the Ramleela Maidan for our massive gathering," TMC State General Secretary Kunal Ghosh said.



"We have also applied for a special train because our MPs, MLAs, leaders, and some genuine workers who have participated in MNREGA are also going with us... They are scheduled to leave for Delhi tomorrow. So at the last moment, the railways are informing us that the special train is not possible. This is a conspiracy to disturb our program," he alleged.


"They are they are afraid of our protest. We strongly condemn this kind of conspiracy. Our senior leaders are watching the situation and we will announce our next course of action," he claimed.


Banerjee, along with other TMC MPs, MLAs, and leaders, intends to pay respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on October 2, his birth anniversary.


He took to X and attacked the BJP over the denial of permission for special trains: "SHOCKING DISPLAY OF DECEIT: The BJP govt shamelessly denied to provide a special train after accepting the deposit. This blatant obstruction of WB's right to protest for their rightful dues is a glaring testament to their FEAR. Love seeing them COWER BEFORE THE PEOPLE OF WB."



Notably, Abhishek Banerjee has faced questioning by the ED in various cases in the past, including the coal pilferage case and the school jobs scam.