What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
The day he was summoned at the Enforcement Directorate office in Kolkata, the all-powerful Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee hit out at the Central Government.
Taking potshots at Union Home minister Amit Shah, under whom the central investigative agencies come, the fire-brand nephew of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said that “there is no coal or cattle scam but a home minister scam”.
“I will request media friends to stop calling it a cattle smuggling scam or coal scam. Rather call it a ‘Home Minister Scam’,” Banerjee said, while addressing his supporters outside the ED office in Kolkata.
“If someone needs to be held responsible for this, it is only the Home Minister. How is coal smuggling possible in collieries, which come under the purview of the Central Government, especially under the ministry of coal and power, and are guarded by CISF (Central Industrial Security Force)?” Banerjee, who was questioned for seven hours by the ED in a case related to a coal smuggling scam on Friday, asked.
Talking about the cattle smuggling case along Bengal’s Indo-Bangladesh border, Banerjee asked, “How is cattle smuggling possible when the (international) border is protected by the BSF (Border Security Force)? Can coal and cattle smuggling happen without any assistance from the Central Government?”
“Amit Shah should be ashamed of himself. Instead of playing puppetry with the investigative agencies, he has two tasks at hand. One to teach his son what nationalism is all about and, two, to make sure that Delhi’s law and order and crime situation improves in the days to come,” Banerjee attacked the Union Home Minister while referring to a video showing his son and BCCI president Jay Shah refusing to take the national flag during India’s win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup cricket tournament.
Two officials from the ED have come to Kolkata from Delhi to question the 34-year-old Banerjee about the coal smuggling case. The Supreme Court had prohibited any coercive action against Banerjee. The next hearing will be held on Monday.
Interestingly, on Monday, Banerjee predicted that something would happen within four-five days. Speaking on the occasion of the foundation day of TMC’s student wing, Banerjee had said, “We are seeing such a big gathering today, I am stating to you that something will happen within four-five days because they cannot fight politically…”
