KOLKATA: A team of the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday visited the Presidency Correctional Home in the southern part of the city to quiz former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with its probe into a school jobs scam, an official said.
In the fresh round of questioning, Chatterjee will be grilled on the basis of the interrogation of Arpita Mukherjee, his close associate who was also arrested by the ED as part of the investigation, the official said.
"We had quizzed Arpita yesterday and she has given us several leads on the basis of which we will be questioning Partha Chatterjee today," he told PTI.
Chatterjee, the now-suspended Trinamool Congress leader, and Mukherjee were arrested by the ED last month in connection with its investigation into irregularities in the recruitment of teachers by the School Service Commission.
The central agency has also seized crores of rupees from Mukherjee's houses in different parts of Kolkata.
Meanwhile, Sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation are likely to question the daughter of arrested Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal on Wednesday in connection with their probe into the alleged cattle smuggling scam, a senior official said.
The CBI sleuths are expected to visit Mondal's residence in Bolpur in West Bengal's Birbhum district to quiz his daughter.
They may question the accountant of the TMC's district president as a part of their probe into the multi-crore scam, the CBI official said on Tuesday.
"Our officers will visit Mondal's Bolpur residence tomorrow to question his daughter. We may also interrogate his accountant," he told PTI.
The central agency suspected that several bank accounts belonging to Mondal's daughter were used for financial transactions in the scam, he said.
"We have found several joint bank accounts of Mondal and his daughter. The two are joint holders of many other assets as well. Several accounts belonging to his daughter were used for transactions in the cattle smuggling scam."
"A flat in Chinar Park area, on the outskirts of the city, was registered in his daughter's name. We have found two more flats in her name. There are several rice mills too," the officer said.
During the day, the CBI sleuths questioned Mondal in connection with the scam, he said, claiming that the TMC leader "did not cooperate" with them.
The central agency has been accusing Mondal of "not cooperating" with its sleuths since his arrest last week.
During the day, a separate group of CBI officers visited the correctional home in Asansol and grilled Mondal's bodyguard Saigal Hossain, who has also been in custody for his alleged involvement in the scam, the central agency's official added.
Posters claiming that a "new and reformed TMC will come into being in six months", bearing photographs of party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee but not of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, have been put up in various parts of Kolkata.
The posters were put up mostly in south Kolkata's Hazra and Kalighat areas, both near the TMC supremo's residence in Bhowanipore.
However, none of the posters bore Mamata Banerjee's photographs, which has seldom been the case in TMC posters since the party's inception in 1998.
Although most of the party leaders remained tight-lipped over the development, TMC state secretary general Kunal Ghosh, who is considered close to Abhishek Banerjee, said there was nothing wrong with the posters.
"Time and again, Abhishek Banerjee has said that we need to learn and improve ourselves. We need to fulfil the aspirations of the masses. So maybe some over-enthusiastic party workers put up posters with his quotes issued in the past," Ghosh said.
According to TMC insiders, the arrest of senior leaders Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal will have far-reaching consequences within the party as it will further cement the young brigade's grip on the organisation.
Reacting to the development, state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said these posters were the fallout of an inner-party struggle with the TMC.
"For last one year, an inner-party struggle within the TMC has been out in the open.
But whether it's for good or bad, there is no harm in accepting the truth that Mamata Banerjee is still and will remain the driving force behind the TMC," he said.
Meanwhile, state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar on Tuesday courted controversy by asking party workers to carry sticks with flags and resist if attempts are made to stop them during the party's September 7 protest march to the state secretariat.
His call drew sharp criticism from the ruling TMC, which accused the saffron party of "trying to vitiate the state's peaceful atmosphere".
Addressing a party rally at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district, he said there would be stiff resistance if attempts are made to stop the march.
"On September 7, we will march to Nabanna (state secretariat) to protest the corrupt TMC regime in the state. But if we are stopped, there would be stiff resistance. I request all of you to carry sticks along with flags," he said.
The protest march is part of the BJP's upping the ante against TMC following the arrest of two state ministers.
Later, while speaking with reporters, Majumdar asserted that every individual has the right to self-defence.
"As per our Constitution, every individual has the right to self-defence. If someone tries to attack, you can always take steps to protect yourself," he said.
Reacting to his comments, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said, "The BJP is trying to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the state. The saffron party and its leaders in West Bengal have no credibility," he said.