Abhishek Banerjee summoned by ED on day of TMC's Delhi protest

Abhishek Banerjee, the leader of the Trinamul Congress, was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday for questioning on Tuesday (October 3), the day he was supposed to lead the party's demonstrations in Delhi against the BJP-led government at the Center.

The ED is rumored to have also called Abhishek's parents, Amit and Lata Banerjee (the chief minister Mamata Banerjee's brother and sister-in-law), to appear in court the following week. Their identities may be found on the Leaps and Bounds Private Limited board of directors, which is under investigation by the ED. The company's chief executive officer is Abhishek.

This is the fourth time in a little more than four months that a central investigation agency has issued a summons to the Trinamul national general secretary on the days of his previously publicized political programs.

"Earlier this month, the ED called me on a day that was also the day of a crucial #INDIA coordinating meeting in Delhi. I obeyed the served summons and dutifully showed up, Abhishek said on X on Thursday.

"Now, once more, they have presented me with a summons to appear before them on October 3rd in Delhi, the day of the protest campaign for West Bengal's just dues. Those who are actually disturbed, rattled, and scared are clearly shown by this harsh discovery, he continued.

Senior Trinamul MP: "He (Abhishek) will be in Delhi with 600 or so elected representatives and party leaders, in addition to 2,000 deprived Bengali 100-day job cardholders, from Sunday,"

Trinamul scheduled the events in Delhi as a form of protest over the Centre's holdup in releasing monies owed to Bengal under a number of programs, including the MGNREGS.

Since Mamata was told to rest after hurting her left knee on a business trip to Spain last week, she would not be able to join the protest events in Delhi.

"Abhishek is all we have because it's unlikely that our supreme commander (Mamata) will be there. As of right now, he will write to them (ED) to request a different date, the Trinamul MP stated.

The strategy for the demonstrations in Delhi has already undergone a number of revisions.

On Saturday, a special train is scheduled to depart with more than 2,000 work card holders who will be participating in the Delhi programs.

Abhishek will have a virtual meeting with Trinamul's membership on Friday to discuss the specifics of the party's protest preparations.

In conjunction with alleged anomalies in the hiring process for state-aided schools, the agencies began an investigation into Leaps & Bounds Private Limited.