India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
After nine-hour interrogation by the CBI in the West Bengal school recruitment scam, Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary and nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, dismissed the proceedings as a ‘waste of time.’ He claimed that he was being targeted as he refused to be a ‘pet dog of the bosses in Delhi’, referring to the ruling BJP government at the Centre.
While being questioned for the first time in connection with the multi-crore scam, Banerjee maintained that he cooperated with the officers and answered their questions.
“After being interrogated by the CBI for 9 hours and 40 minutes, I can confidently say that it was a complete waste of their time and mine. I will not be a puppet of Delhi. If you have evidence against me, then arrest me. We will not yield to your pressure,” expressed the TMC leader, emphasizing their determination to continue the fight.
#WATCH | TMC National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee speaks after coming out of the CBI office after over nine hours of questioning in the Kuntal Ghosh letter case. Says, “Will continue the fight and win.” pic.twitter.com/D7CaTzS4Rv
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2023
Banerjee alleged that he was being pursued by the BJP to disrupt his recently launched Jono Sanjog Yatra, which is set to resume on Monday.
He further claimed that TMC leaders faced unwarranted harassment while BJP workers accused of various crimes did not receive similar treatment, suggesting that this was a consequence of the TMC’s refusal to bow down to the central government.
School Jobs Scam: CBI Questions TMC Leader Abhishek For Fore Than Six Hours
The CBI had issued a notice to Banerjee on Friday, summoning him to their Nizam Palace office at 11 am. This followed the Calcutta High Court’s permission to question the TMC leader in connection with the recruitment scam in West Bengal schools.
Banerjee’s name was mentioned in a complaint filed by Kuntal Ghosh, a TMC youth wing leader who was arrested. Ghosh alleged that central investigating agencies were pressuring him to implicate the TMC MP in the case.
Previously, central agencies had interrogated Abhishek Banerjee, his wife, and his sister-in-law regarding a coal smuggling scam case.
