Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien on Friday criticised the Enforcement Directorate's decision to freeze three of the party's bank accounts, asking when the central agency would act against the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
“ED freezes TMC's 3 bank accounts with HDFC. When will ED freeze temple funds,” O’Brien, Trinamool’s national joint secretary, said in a post on X.
His remarks came amid the Opposition's demand for a judicial probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the Ram temple's donation management system.
On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate said it had frozen three bank accounts of the Trinamool Congress, containing deposits worth ₹440 crore, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with an alleged funds misappropriation case.
The agency said the action was taken under Section 17(1A) of the PMLA, which empowers it to freeze assets such as bank deposits when seizure is not practicable and there is a need to prevent their transfer or disposal during the investigation.
(With inputs from PTI)