Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre after he came out of the Central Bureau of Investigation office in Kolkata where he was questioned in connection with the school jobs scam case. Speaking to the media, the TMC leader said it was “a total waste of their (CBI) time and my time”, adding he was grilled by the federal probe agency for over nine hours.
“Will not be a pet dog to 'Delhi bosses', that's why targeted,” Banerjee claimed.
The TMC leader’s name surfaced after a complaint was filed by one of the accused in the school jobs scam, Kuntal Ghosh where he alleged that the central investigative agencies were pressuring him to name Abhishek Banerjee in the school scam case.
It is believed that during the questioning throughout the day, the CBI officers asked Banerjee why an accused Kuntal Ghosh alleged that he was being pressured to name him, as per a report by news agency PTI.
The TMC MP is believed to have stated that he has no knowledge of the reasons behind Ghosh’s statement.
Earlier in the day, prior to reaching the CBI office at Kolkata’s Nizam Palace, Banerjee wrote a letter to the federal probe agency informing it of his decision to move the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order which allows investigative agencies CBI and ED to question him.
In his letter to the CBI, the TMC MP expressed his “shock” over the notice served to him stating him to appear at the office and also showed his discontent over the short notice at which he was asked to be present.
"At the very onset, I state that I am rather shocked to find that the notice under reference was served upon me on 19.05.2023 in the afternoon, directing me to appear before your office at Kolkata at 11.00 am on 20.05.2023, providing me less than a day's time to comply,” the letter read, as per the PTI report.
Abhishek Banerjee, who was on the campaign trail in Bankura in western Bengal, had rushed back to Kolkata Friday night to answer the summons sent by the central investigative agency.