KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Rujira Narula Banerjee, wife of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, on Wednesday in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitments in state-aided schools.
It was the first time that the ED asked Rujira to appear for questioning in the teachers’ recruitment scam case. Earlier, she was interrogated in connection with money laundering related to coal pilferage.
The ruling party of West Bengal described the central agency’s move as political harassment by the BJP due to vendetta.
Rujira arrived at the ED’s office at around 10:45 a.m. After a marathon interrogation, she left the investigating agency’s Salt Lake office at around 4.20 p.m.
The ED is investigating the possible involvement of Leaps and Bounds Private Limited, a company that has Abhishek as its CEO and Rujira as a former director, in the state’s primary school teacher recruitment scam.
“We asked her to explain in detail about her knowledge about Leaps and Bounds and why she quit as the director of the company,” said an ED officer.
Abhishek Banerjee, who was questioned by the ED for nearly nine hours in the teacher recruitment scam on September 13, had then claimed that the interrogation was an attempt to prevent him from participating in the opposition INDIA bloc's meet and was a testament to the pivotal role the Trinamool Congress plays in forging opposition unity.
The recruitment scam landed former education minister Partha Chatterjee and several TMC functionaries and officials of the state education department behind bars. Both the ED and the CBI are probing into the alleged irregularities following an order passed by the Calcutta High Court.
In another development on Wednesday, the CBI pleaded to interrogate Chatterjee, who was produced before the court, in the jail saying it came across more evidence. While leaving the court, Chatterjee claimed his innocence in the recruitment scam.
TMC minister Shashi Panja lambasted the BJP for using the central agencies politically.
“Summoning Rujira by the ED is nothing other than political harassment. It is BJP’s political vendetta. The saffron camp failed to combat our party politically through elections and is now using the ED and the CBI to meet its political purpose. The people of Bengal realised it and they will give a befitting reply in the coming elections in Bengal,” she alleged.