'Won't cow down to BJP's pressure tactics'

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned all-India Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira Banerjee for questioning in connection with a money laundering case involving coal smuggling.

Banerjee termed the ED summons a "political vendetta" and while addressing the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) foundation day programme said that the central agencies cannot deter his resolve.

"We will emerge stronger and will not bow down to pressure tactics of BJP by using ED against us," Banerjee said.

"The people of Bengal will give a befitting reply for such 'attack' on Abhishek Banerjee and other TMC leaders in the name of investigation. It has been proved earlier too that such action is not beyond vendetta politics," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.

Banerjee who is also the TMC MP from Diamond Harbour has been asked to appear before the agency in New Delhi on September 6 while his wife has been asked to depose before the investigating officer in the case on September 1.

The CBI had earlier questioned Rujira Banerjee in connection with the case on February 23, days ahead of the state Assembly elections. Her sister and family have also been interrogated in the case.

According to ED sources two senior IPS officers of Bengal police—Shyam Singh and Gyanwant Singh—have also been summoned in the same case on September 8 and 9, respectively.

The case, filed under criminal sections of the (PMLA), was filed by the ED after studying a November, 2020 FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to the Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in the state's Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol. Anup Majhi alias Lala is alleged to be the prime suspect in the case.