ED quizzes Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee, says those fighting BJP are being harassed

Top Trinamool Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew, on Monday was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case arising out of a coal pilferage scam even as he alleged that whoever fighting the ruling BJP is being "harassed".

The 33-year-old leader, who is Trianamool's National General Secretary, arrived at the ED office in Jam Nagar House in the national capital at around 11 AM, saying he was "ready to face investigation" and "will cooperate" with the officers who are doing their job.

After the questioning, which lasted till around 8 PM, he told reporters, "anyone who fights against the BJP is harassed. This case has arisen out of Kolkata, I've been summoned to Delhi. I have been asked questions non-stop for the last 8 hours. From day one, I have been asking to bring evidence, if any, against me into the public domain."

"If BJP thinks it can scare the Trinamool Congress by doing all this, if they think Trinamool will accept defeat like Congress and other parties, they are mistaken. We will fight more vigorously. We'll go to every state where the BJP has murdered democracy," he said.

Banerjee's wife Rujira was also summoned on September 1 but she did not appear citing the Covid-19 pandemic while requesting the ED to question her in Kolkata.

While leaving Kolkata for Delhi on Sunday, he had said he would hang himself if any central agency can prove his involvement in any illegal transaction.

The Investigating Officer of the case recorded the statement of Banerjee, who represents the Diamond Harbour seat in the Lok Sabha, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It is claimed that Banerjee had received funds from those involved in illegal coal mining through one of his close aides, who is a party youth wing leader.

The ED had registered a case of money laundering based on an FIR filed by the CBI in November last year in the coal pilferage scam linked to the Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in Kunustoria and Kajora in West Bengal's Asansol. It is alleged that Banerjee was a beneficiary of funds obtained from this illegal trade.

The ED has arrested two persons -- former Inspector in-charge of Bankura police station Ashok Kumar Mishra and Vikas Mishra, who is the brother of TMC youth wing leader Vinay Mishra. Vinay is said to have left the country sometime back and renounced his Indian citizenship -- in this case so far.

One Anup Majhi alias Lala is said to be the prime suspect in the case, who is alleged to be running his "illegal coal mining business smoothly by managing senior functionaries of (a) political party of West Bengal though Inspector Mishra".

A "deep system of political patronage" and a "well-oiled machinery" was "used to brazenly carry out certain unlawful coal mining" in West Bengal, the ED had earlier claimed.

The ED had said that Vinay and Vikas had received "proceeds of crime worth Rs 730 crore on behalf of some influential persons and for themselves" in this case involving around Rs 1,352 crore.

The statement of this unidentified "witness" furnished by the ED in the court earlier had claimed that "it is known fact that Vinay Mishra collected money from illegal coal mining of Majhi and his associates for his closely associated political boss in the present ruling party; that Vinay Mishra is the youth leader of TMC and he is very close to Abhishek Banerjee and that he (Vinay Mishra) is the eyes and ears of Abhishek Banerjee".

"Majhi assisted in transferring substantial funds derived from the proceeds of crime to Abhishek Banerjee's close relatives (wife and sister-in-law) at London and Thailand," the ED had claimed citing documents.